


This Beautiful Life

by Malexus



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Angst, Bullying, Friends to Lovers, Human Bill Cipher, Jewish Characters, Jewish Pines Family, M/M, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, Slow Burn, depends on how things develop, messing with time/time travel, might contain explicit sexual content in the future
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-07
Updated: 2016-04-19
Packaged: 2018-05-25 05:29:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 28,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6182413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Malexus/pseuds/Malexus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A back town prophecy adorned in stony skin. By invoking ancient powers, Bill has ensured his return, but when he awakens on the other side, he finds that his actions will not go unpunished.  Though how that punishment is delivered is still up in the air. Maybe a lesson in humility and humanity is the proper course to take.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Where the Road Parts

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, this is the first fic that I've actually decided to post online! Not sure how I'm going to go about this, but I'm excited to share my work. The entire idea for this fic came from me listening to the song This Beautiful Life by The Dear Hunter and it sorta took off when i told one of my friends. I've kinda been using song titles from I hope you enjoy it. As I said in the tags, the rating may change as I get further into writing this. If you have any suggestions on how I can improve or notice anything that seems off wording wise, please let me know.

With a gasp, Bill's eye flew open as he awoke in a pleasantly sized room. He stared up at a ceiling, the light above him bright enough to light the room well, but not so bright as to hurt his vision. Bill sat up on the comfortable couch he was laying on.

Looking around the room, Bill saw that the walls were painted a soft shade of gray and the room was furnished like a cozy waiting room. The bookshelves around the room were filled with many books and small knickknacks. A soft, gray rug was in the center of the room with a design that Bill couldn't recognize. Neither could he recognize any of the photos and paintings hanging around the room. The room was filled with soft music that seemed pleasantly familiar, yet strangely new.

Bill eventually noticed a desk at the opposite end of the room with a plain looking human sitting behind it, writing down something that Bill couldn't see from his place on the couch. Bill floated up and then over to the desk.

The human was ordinary looking, with a roundish, somewhat chubby face. Their almond-shaped brown eyes were behind a pair of rectangular glasses that had a chain attached to them so they could hang from the person's neck. They had thick, dark hair that seemed oily yet still well groomed. The only strikingly odd thing about the human was that they had no features seeming to identify what their gender was. If Bill had to guess this human's race, he'd probably say Inuit.

For a few moments, the person behind the desk didn't seem to notice the demonic triangle hovering over them, but soon enough looked up and gave a soft gasp. They quickly put on a soft, kind smile as they looked at Bill.

“Oh, I'm so sorry,” they said, “I should have greeted you as soon as you had arrived, but not many end up here so I didn't anticipate you showing up just now.”

“What?” said Bill, “What are you talking about? Not many end up here?”

The person ignored his question as they pulled a book out from one of the desk's drawers. The book was midnight blue with the design of a shooting star on the top of the cover and the symbol of the big dipper at the bottom. The two symbols acted as a frame around the sign for infinity. The book was turned to a seemingly random page that the person read for a bit before looking back up.

“Ah, Bill Cipher,” they said with that same soft smile, that same pleasant tone, “Welcome.”

Bill glared at the person, getting irritated at the lack of explanation, eventually yelling out, “Welcome where? Who are you? Where am I?”

“How rude of me, I am the Nothing. Welcome to my domain Bill Cipher. Welcome to Oblivion.”

Bill's pupil shrunk in shock as his arms went limp, eye going wide. Several moments passed as Bill tried to process what he had just been told.

“O-oblivion?” he said, “How? How did this happen? I... I thought... No. I put things...”

The Nothing raised a hand cutting Bill off before talking, “Calm down. Have a seat and breathe for a moment.”

Bill sunk down into a chair that had somehow appeared beneath him, still in shock. He was afraid, Bill Cipher was afraid and he didn't know what to do. All he could do was stare at the floor and listen to Nothing.

“Now, Bill Cipher,” said Nothing, putting the book down open on the desk, “From your entry in the Journal Infinitum, it says that you are a dream demon that has extraordinary power. You're a being of pure energy, and as such, cannot be destroyed, only changed in form.”

“Your current form is...” Nothing looked up to the ceiling, head tilting side to side, pondering their next words. They finally turned back to Bill with a pleased smile, “Potential, I'd say.”

Looking up from the ground sadly, Bill stared at Nothing before asking, “Can I ask why I'm here?”

“Of course. You are here because you were destroyed in the Everything, an existing Universe, but since you are pure energy, you had to be transferred somewhere. And so, you were brought here, into the Nothing, into Oblivion.”

“I... I thought I had made sure that I'd be able to return.”

“You did, but there are some things that need to be... addressed. Yes, you invoked an ancient power so you could return, but still there are some things that must be discussed.”

“So... I can return?” Bill asked becoming hopeful.

Nothing took in a deep breath and let it out slowly before speaking again, “It depends on some of the things we will discuss.”

“I've... I've never felt so powerless before...”

“It's alright,” Nothing said, reaching across the desk to rest a hand on one of Bill's sides, “most people are rather scared when they first arrive here.”

“You keep saying there are others here... Where are they?”

“Outside,” said Nothing, sweeping their hand towards a door, “They are in the fog of Oblivion. We've made quite a pleasant town here actually.”

Bill took a moment to breathe before he looked at Nothing, more confident and calm now, “Then let's talk and get my return on its way.”

“Glad you've calmed down,” Nothing said, “First of all, I will make a few things clear. Yes, you invoked an ancient power and so you will return, but where you return to is still up in the air. Also, there will be consequences for your actions, the danger you placed an entire Universe in cannot be overlooked.”

Bill laughed a little at the thought of having to deal with consequences, “What? Are you going to punish me by putting me in a prison like before? I'll find a way out. Your attempts at punishing me are laughable at best.”

There was a shift in the smile on Nothing's face as they faced Bill, their eyes closed, it wasn't pleasant anymore, it felt like a threat, “That punishment was placed on you by those authorities in the Everything.”

Nothing's eyes slitted open slightly as they continued, “Whatever punishment that you must face, will be carried out, by me. Will be enforced, by me. You cannot escape my wrath Bill Cipher. And I expect you show proper respect to those who hold your fate in their hands. You have no power here Bill Cipher, know your place.”

The aura coming from Nothing was crushing. Bill had never felt such power from another being before, he had never felt such merciless strength. He shrunk back, cowering in his seat before this being, no, this God.

Another shift, and the pleasantness had returned to Nothing's face as they continued to speak, “Alright, now that I'm certain you understand, we can continue.”

“I'm-I'm sorry,” said Bill nervously, “but may I ask something really quick?”

“Certainly, what is it Bill Cipher?”

“Well, a few things. You could just call me Bill or Cipher, it feels odd being called my full name,” he said, Nothing nodding in agreement to his first request, “Another thing is about that book.”

“Oh, you mean the Journal Infinitum? What about it?”

“Just, the symbols on it... are, are they what I think they are?”

“The Shooting Star and the Big Dipper, on the spine you'll also see the Pine Tree. I'm sure I can guess your next question, and yes, the authors of this journal are Dipper and Mabel Pines.”

“How? Why? This, this doesn't seem right.”

“I shall gladly explain. As the twins reached the ends of their lives, Time came to them with an offer. For their valiant efforts in your defeat, they would be granted the privilege of existing outside of time and creating a comprehensive journal of all that exists in the Everything. Now, at first, they were apprehensive due to feeling that the fact that all the others who had helped in your defeat wouldn't be given this privilege was unfair. Though, they were eager to take on the task when they were shown that those close to them would be honored greatly in the afterlife.”

“So, the Pines twins are outside of time...”

“Yes, and they are quite enjoying the adventure of it. Actually, we're outside of time as of the moment.”

“And you said I have no power here?”

“None. Your power exists in the Everything, in your Universe. You may be pure energy, but right now, it's all potential that can't be accessed.”

“Alright, that's all I wanted to know. What do we need to discuss?”

“Right, um, one moment as I check your entry. Let's see,” said Nothing picking back up the Journal, “Your previous imprisonment was your punishment for breaking out of your two dimensional Universe and, in the process, destroying it, along with all of its inhabitants. This was a crime that was incomprehensible in its magnitude. I am not sure if any could think of a way to properly punish you for that crime, but in all honesty, this trip to Oblivion is, in my view, the perfect punishment.”

Nothing closed the Journal before continuing, “Your soul is now bound here. No matter how you return, or to where or when, you will always return to Oblivion. That is your punishment for your previous crimes.”

“So I'm stuck here for all eternity, that's just great.”

“No, you aren't stuck here, but this is where your soul is destined to return to now. You can leave, but you can never escape, does that make sense?”

“I guess?” Bill said with a shrug, “So that answers one thing, but what I'm curious about is my return.”

“Eager to be underway I see. Right, for your current crime...”

Suddenly there was a flash of light and a crackle of electricity from behind Bill. He peaked around from behind the chair at the source of the flash, as Nothing calmly looked up. Levitating at the other side of the room was Time Baby, looking cranky and determined.

“Bill Cipher, I will not allow you to return to the Universe, I shall ensure you are destroyed and forgotten permanently,” declared Time Baby.

At the threat of total destruction, without any of his powers to defend himself with, Bill felt petrified, his breath was harsh and shallow, he could do nothing. Nothing slowly stood up and stepped smoothly around the desk to stand next to Bill.

“I would appreciate it if you would not interrupt my affairs,” said Nothing, their smile was gone, replaced with a cold, neutral expression.

“Nothing, this doesn't involve you. Bill Cipher is a threat to the multiverse. He must be eliminated completely.”

“This does involve me child, Bill is in My domain, and you have barged in here without my express permission,” said Nothing, their voice growing harsher as they continued to speak, warping and twisting, “And I do not believe your father will be very pleased to know you are on this side of the Bridge.”

“Time will understand the importance of my crossing. Bill must not be allowed to return.”

“Time Baby, this is your only warning,” said Nothing, their aura growing to crushing force, “leave now, or I will make sure you never leave again. This matter is above you now, Bill's fate is in the Gods' hands now.”

Time Baby seemed to be pushed back by the force of Nothing's presence. The fear in their face was clear before they quickly nodded and vanished in a flash of electrical energy. With a huff, Nothing turned on their heels, looking miffed. They went back to the chair on their side of the desk, opposite Bill.

“Can you believe the nerve of that child?” said Nothing, “Not even grown enough to be ascended and they think they can come in here like they own the place.”

Bill just stared at Nothing, the change in their personality was striking. It was so different from the two expressions that Nothing had shown before, it was human.

“I-I have nothing to really say,” said Bill.

“Ugh, I'll be sure their father hears of this. I don't know how they got across the Bridge without Time's notice, but they did.”

“Er, what bridge?”

“I see some things need to be edited in your Journal entry. You aren't as omniscient as it leads one to believe.”

“Hey, I know everything,” said Bill defensively.

“Just as you knew that you were shaking hands with the wrong Stan?”

“...No comment.”

“Thought not,” said Nothing with a chuckle, “Right, the Bridge of Life and Death. It is the bridge that connects the Everything with the Nothing, Time is the guardian that observes all that cross it.”

“How did I not know about this?”

“Because it is quite exclusive knowledge, known only to the Gods and those who directly serve them.”

“I hate not knowing things,” Bill said with a huff.

“I know, I know. Now, let's continue. Your crime currently under evaluation is your jailbreak and the danger you placed on the existence of an entire Universe, as well as that whole vaporizing Time Baby thing. There's also the matter of you terrorizing mortals, but I believe them defeating you and sending you here is a fitting punishment.”

“So two of the things I'm in trouble for are covered by me being here. What about the rest?”

“Well, for the rest we have a few options,” said Nothing, taking out a notepad and flipping through it, “Since you guaranteed your return to your Universe, those options have been limited, but are none-the-less numerous. We could trap you in the dreamscape, put you back in your former prison and reinforce the seals on it, anchor you to a rogue planet that has been knocked away from its star and is hurtling through the void of space, bind you to the surface of the Universe's lowest mass star and let you watch as all the other stars die and force you to bare witness to the eventual heat-death of the Universe...”

“I get it, I get it,” Bill said aggravated, “I'll be imprisoned again and there's nothing I can do about it.”

“One moment, I might have something,” said Nothing, jotting something down on a piece of paper before the paper vanished in an umbral mist.

A few moments later a soft ticking sound came from the other end of the room, followed by a polite knock. Turning Bill saw a door had appeared on the far wall, clockwork in design, the gears shifting every second that passed.

“Please come in,” said Nothing politely.

The door opened and in stepped a man wrapped in silver and white robes. His aura was staggering as he stepped forward, approaching the desk. His eyes looked to Bill, who shrunk away from the gaze. The man stopped next to Bill and looked at Nothing.

“What did you wish to discuss with me Nothing?” said the man in a formal tone.

“Oh, just a few things,” replied Nothing in their same pleasant voice, “One of which involves your child.”

With a heavy sigh, the man deflated slightly, “What did Time Baby do now?”

“Time, your child barged into my domain and threatened poor Bill here. Not only did they cross the Bridge without permission, but they entered here without even asking. And then to have the gall to try and interfere with matters they are no longer involved in.”

“Yes, yes, I understand and they will be punished accordingly, you have my word,” said Time, raising a hand to try and calm Nothing.

“You better.”

“Now, what did you want to discuss with me involving,” said Time, pausing as he slowly turned towards Bill, “him.”

“An idea I had, but I'd need you to be on board with it if I was to even consider it.”

“You know how I hate being indirect, please be straightforward with your request.”

“Alright, alright. You're no fun. Fine, I wish to propose branching the timeline of this Bill's Universe,” said Nothing, standing up and gesturing to a door, “If you'll step outside with me for a moment, I'll be happy to explain the rest of my plan.”

The two silently stepped out the door, that Bill could have sworn hadn't been there before, out into a thick gray fog. The door shut behind them and Bill was left in the room alone. After a few moments, Bill decided to take a look at the Journal Infinitum that was sitting on the desk.

Flipping through the pages, he tried finding his own entry. The book seemed to automatically stop on the page he was looking for. Bill scanned the pages, everything that had been in old Sixer's journals was there, but there was much more. He recognized the writing of Pine Tree and Shooting Star across the page, their additions to the knowledge on him. A note at the end of the page was written by Pine Tree and read as such, 'Though Bill Cipher claims to be all knowing, he doesn't in fact have ultimate knowledge. He can be tricked and deceived. He also only seems to have knowledge of things in the observable Universe, he can't see beyond that.'

As he scoffed at the Journal the door opened again, making Bill scramble to but the book back on the desk where it was before. The two Gods walked back in, Time actually smiling now as Nothing seemed positively giddy.

“Alright I accept your request,” said Time joyfully, “but I do have one condition. There must be someone to act as his guardian, someone has to keep an eye on him.”

“Then I propose this,” Nothing responded with a smirk, “We both need a break from our endless work, why don't we treat this as a vacation?”

“I don't know. I must guard the Bridge.”

“Your twin sister can handle that, I'm sure Space would be thrilled to do it.”

“Alright, I'll let her know, but this is up to Cipher, not us. If he refuses then we can't do anything.”

“Hey, I know you're talking about me,” stated Bill, “What are you talking about? What's up to me?”

Nothing took their seat behind the desk again, with Time standing beside them now, before responding, “Bill Cipher, we have a proposition for you. We have come to agreement on a way for you to return. You will return to your Universe about thirteen years before your defeat...”

“But...” said Bill, knowing that there had to be some condition to his return, some form of punishment.

“But you will be reborn as a human,” supplied Time.

“What?” squawked an outraged Bill, “A weak pathetic human?”

“Humans are neither weak nor pathetic, as was shown in how humans were able to beat you,” retorted Nothing, “If you accept this proposal, then you will be born as a human thirteen years before the events known as Weirdmageddon. Note, you will not be able to interfere with the events that took place in Gravity Falls during that time, we can't have you creating any paradoxes.”

“And why would I want to take this offer?” asked Bill.

“Well, I'm sure the other options for your punishment will be far more enjoyable. I'll get to setting up the seals on that star for you.”

“No, no, no,” said Bill, panicked by the alternative, “So I'd be human if I took this deal?”

“Yes, and we would take human form as well,” answered Time, “We would act as your parents while you are alive.”

“I guess I could do that,” said Bill as he weighed his options.

“Good, I'm glad that that is settled,” said Nothing, offering a hand that became engulfed in a dark haze. Bill knew that power, that was the great and terrible power of the Void, something that even he knew not to mess with.

“So Bill,” continued Nothing, hand still outstretched, “Do we have a deal?”

Bill gulped hard enough for it to make a click, before shakily reaching up and taking the hand, “Yeah... deal.”

“Perfect,” said Nothing getting excited and shaking Bill's hand vigorously, “Now then, we should plan out some things before we actually go into the Universe.”

Nothing let go of Bill's hand, the haze fading away, and started moving to the bookshelves around the room, continuing to talk excitedly, “Time and I need to think of human names if we're going to act as your parents while you're human. Also should use a different last name, rather than using Cipher, since that could get you recognized too easily, and where's the fun in that?”

“I assume I shall act as the father?” asked Time with an amused grin.

“You usually like to keep with that whole 'father time' thing you've got,” said Nothing, putting books in the crook of their arm to make air quotes, “So I guess I'll be the mother, though I always dislike having to be assigned a gender.”

“Then don't. If you actually want to give birth to Cipher, then you only need to be female in sex alone.”

“Then that's what I'll do,” agreed Nothing, dropping the books on the desk and looking through a few.

“So...” said Bill, “What do I have to start planning? Or will everything be decided by you?”

“Hmm?” replied Nothing, looking up from the book they were currently pouring over, “Oh, just think about the appearance you want your human body to have, though I have a couple of requirements for your body. Namely your birthmark and that I'm limiting you to not having any unnatural features.”

“Birthmark?” asked Bill, “What about that?”

“They just had an idea while we were talking outside and they seemed quite proud of it,” answered Time, now holding a book himself, “What do you think of me using the name Timothy or Thomas?”

“Thomas,” answered Nothing, “I feel sorry for all the Timothy's in the world, it sounds like the name of a child, not for an adult.”

“Alright. Bill, I have a suggestion for you.”

“Alright, shoot.”

“Why don't we have your legal name be William? That way, you can still have the nickname of Bill.”

“Eh, I guess I'm cool with that,” answered Bill, now starting to ponder what he wanted to look like as a human.

He definitely wanted two eyes, that's deluxe, and he'd probably keep with the gold thing he has going. So probably blond hair and maybe even yellow eyes.

“Really would have thought you'd want gold eyes,” spoke Nothing, looking knowingly at Bill, “I'd even allow them to be almost metallic in their hue.”

“Can you not read my mind?” demanded Bill, though he had to agree with the suggestion.

“Sorry, you're in my domain, I know everything that happens here.”

Bill simply narrowed his eye at that before continuing to visualize a human body for him. He'd have to consider what he'd look like as a child as well as an adult, which would just be a pain. So many details to consider; cheekbones, chin shape and position, brow height, nose shape and size. And those things were just on the face, what about the rest of his body? Tall, but not too tall, slim, but not super skinny. Bill gave a groan in frustration from all the things he had to consider, and that was all before considering how the body would age.

With a chuckle Time spoke up, “Would you like some help from one whose done this whole human vessel thing before?”

“Yeeeessss, it's so boring and tedious to think about,” whined Bill.

“Just think of the very basic details of your body at a particular age, don't worry about how it will age or the fine details, such as the shape of your mouth or anything else. The magic used for this kind of thing follows what would fit you best, it just needs some basic guidelines. Though I do suggest deciding on a defined choice for things like skin tone, hair color, and eye color.”

“Okay, so like, just set like wanting to be tall, but not too tall would work?” asked Bill, “I'm going to need to study this at some point.”

“Yes that would work perfectly. And you can at some point, you always return to Oblivion so you'll have plenty of time to.”

With that Bill went back to thinking about his human body.

'Let's see, I think I'll only consider what I'll look like at twenty-one, seems like a good age. Alright, again, tall, but not too tall, slim, but not super skinny. I'd want to be good looking, like I'm not already, let's go full teenage-dream look. Bright golden blond hair, almost metallic gold eyes, maybe a light tan to my skin. I guess that takes care of the basics...'

“Pherci,” Nothing suddenly shouted, “I've got our last name and it's going to be Pherci.”

“What the hell is Pherci?” asked Bill aggravated by the sudden outburst.

“It's just a shift of cipher by four letters. It's perfect since it uses a kind of code to get back your name, and how many letters does Bill have? Four.”

“You are so proud of yourself, aren't you?” droned Time, “Have you come up with a first name for yourself even?”

“I have, I'll go by Morgan. And with that I've got everything planned out.”

Nothing stood up from their desk and quickly stepped around it. With a snap of their fingers an elegant, arched ebony door appeared at the opposite end of the room. Time waved his hand at the door, making a clock appear at the peak of its arch, which began spinning backwards at a dizzying pace. As Nothing and Time neared the door the clock froze, and the two nodded to each other before looking back at Bill.

“Well, follow us,” said Nothing warmly, before opening the door.

As Bill drew near, the two of them stepped through, leaving Bill alone again. Bill stared at the white glow coming from the doorway, he could feel just how powerful the magic that made this passage was. With a deep breath, and a determined glare, Bill floated through, into a life unknown.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A final thing about this fic is that I'm going to be titling the chapters after songs, mostly songs by The Dear Hunter, that inspired each chapter or that I felt fit the events of each chapter. Hope you're enjoying things so far.


	2. Battesimo Del Fuoco

The room was filled with the sound of someone desperately trying to catch their breath and the wails of a newborn child. A doctor and nurses shuffled about the room, cleaning and checking on the infant as well as checking the parent. The monitors in the hospital room hummed and beeped beneath the other sounds in the room.

The father smoothed his spouse's blond hair out of their face with a soft smile, staring at their honey gold eyes. The spouse cracked a smile at their husband, holding the gaze, studying his emerald eyes and reaching to touch his soft brown hair.

As the new parent finally began to catch their breath, the child's father holding their hand with a caring smile on his face, the child was brought to them to hold. The parent took the child in their arms and marveled at him.

He was small, and though he had been crying a moment before was quieting down as he began to open his eyes. Golden, almost metallic in their shine, his eyes gazed up at his parent and father and their smiling faces. The infant giggled in response to their smiles, a warm sparkle to his eyes.

“Hello,” said the father, turning to their spouse, “You be the first to call him by his name.”

The parent smiled in response before looking at their child's eyes, “Hello there, you're going to be called William, I hope you like it.”

 

– 15 Months –

 

A joyful toddler sat in the middle of the living room floor, surrounded by a myriad of toys, playing with giant building blocks. He had bright blond hair and his golden eyes were intently looking at the blocks as he put them together. His hands fumbled with the blocks as he put them together slowly, building up a pyramid out of the blocks.

The boy's parents stood at the counter that separated the living room from the dinning room and kitchen. They watched their son with smiles and calmly discussed.

“So, fifteen months now,” said the father, “How time flies.”

“How long have you been waiting to use that pun?” asked the moddy.

“Oh come on Morgan,” said the father defensively, “I'm allowed to have my fun.”

“ _Nothing_ stopping you from that, Thomas,” said Morgan with a smug grin.

Thomas glared at his spouse for their comment. Morgan simply laughed off the glare and turned back to their son. He looked over at them with a giggle and smile, which made Morgan smile even more.

“He's growing so fast,” Morgan said softly, “He really is learning fast.”

“He sure is. Already talking kinda clearly.”

“Bill dear,” called Morgan to their son, “What are you building?”

Bill looked to his parents and said excitedly, “Block thingy.”

Morgan walked over to their son and sat down next to him, “Looks like a pyramid. Pyramid, think you can pronounce that?”

“Pimid,” said Bill.

“Almost,” said Thomas, “Pyr-a-mid.”

“Pimid,” repeated Bill more deliberately.

“You'll get it,” said Morgan, petting Bill's head, “Want us to help build with you?”

“No, mine,” insisted Bill.

“Alright, we'll be right here if you need us,” said Morgan, standing up and returning to Thomas.

Thomas smiled at his spouse as they returned to the counter and sat down on one of the stools.

“How do you think he'll develop?” asked Thomas, far more seriously.

“I assume you're wondering about his previous nature,” replied Morgan, “He doesn't have any memories from then, but they might start coming back soon. He'll have learned a lot by the time he remembers.”

“Good, I'm glad things won't get too crazy with him.”

“Oh, they'll get crazy, just wait till he's a teen. He'll be a handful then, that's for sure.”

“What makes you say that?”

“First of all, puberty. Second, you know my plans, we'll see how he adapts and grows. He's going to be a great person some day, I can feel it.”

“Alright, I'll try not to worry too much,” said Thomas, pausing slightly before changing subjects, “Think we should start him in preschool soon?”

“Not for another year or so, I don't think. I want him to spend some time with Bubby first.”

“Oh right, your mother. Maybe in a couple months will go visit her. Have to visit before she takes her end of the summer travel trip.”

“Yeah,” Morgan said with a laugh, “She'll absolutely adore him.”

“I'm sure she will,” said Thomas, turning to look at his son.

Bill leaned over the structure he was building as he put the final yellow brick on the top. He sat back and looked at his creation and clapped clumsily in his joy. His parents congratulated him on his hard work before they carried him to his bed for a nap.

So far, his life was looking bright.

 

– 20 Months –

  
“I'm bored,” whined Bill from his booster seat.

“We're almost there Bill,” said Thomas from the driver's seat, “Are you excited to meet Bubby?”

“Who?” asked Bill simply.

“Bubby,” said Morgan, “My mom.”

“Bubby, Bubby, Bubby,” repeated Bill excitedly.

“Glad you're getting excited,” said Morgan.

After a couple minutes, Thomas called over his shoulder, “Alright, we're finally at Gravity Falls. Bubby is just a few minutes into town.”

The forest around the road began to clear as the car drove into the small town. The town felt sleepy and quiet, yet there was something off about the atmosphere there. There was a mysterious vibration to the air as they drove through town.

The car pulled into the driveway of a house near the far edge of town. Bill's parents stepped out of the car, Thomas going over to the door Bill was sitting near. He opened the door and pulled Bill out carrying him as Morgan grabbed the suit case and duffle bag from the back as if they weighed nothing.

“Sure I shouldn't carry one of those?” asked Thomas.

“Oh please, these are only what? Sixty pounds?” said Morgan, “I could carry you too if I wanted to.”

“You made yourself that strong just to gloat didn't you?”

“Potentially,” said Morgan, “Come on, Bubby's waiting for us.”

The three approached the door to the house, knocking a few times for the resident to answer. They heard someone call from inside that they were coming, before the door opened to a tall old woman. Her silvery hair was combed back in a tight bun, and her eyes were a deep, warm amber. She had a stern face, but there was a clear joy behind it.

“Finally, you're here,” she exclaimed stepping out of the doorway and ushering them in, “Come in, come in. Let me see the little munchkin.”

“Hi mom,” said Morgan, stepping into the house.

Morgan put down the luggage in the living room before turning to pull their mother into a strong hug.

“Good to see you Debbie,” said Thomas, stepping through the doorway, “Bill, want to say hi to your Bubby?”

“Alright, put me down bitsy. Let me see my grandson.”

Bill looked around sheepishly at his grandmother, “H-hi.”

“Hi there my little baby,” Debbie said gently, “Mind if I hold you?”

Bill slowly nodded and reached out to her, causing Debbie to smile warmly. Thomas handed him over to Debbie, who held him firmly, but not uncomfortably.

“Alright, let me get a look at you,” said Debbie, “You have such pretty eyes.”

“Thank you,” said Bill, staring up at her.

“Oh, and you're already so well mannered? He's gonna be such a mensch.”

“Can I go down?” asked Bill.

“Oh, of course,” said Debbie, putting Bill down on his feet, “There you go. Want any juice?”

“Yes please,” replied Bill walking over to the couch Morgan had sat down on.

Bill climbed up onto the couch, with some assistance from Morgan, and looked around the room. The room was cozy, with a nice rug and shelves filled with nick-knacks on the walls. There was a window behind another chair in the room that looked out at the forest surrounding the town.

“Nonny, what do here?” asked Bill.

Morgan turned to their son, “We are going to be staying with Bubby for a couple of days. It'll be fun, I promise.”

“Okay,” said Bill as Debbie came back into the room with a juice box and handing it to him, “Thank you Bubby.”

“You're welcome Bill,” said Debbie with a smile, “So, how have you two been doing?”

“We've been alright,” answered Thomas, ambling over to the luggage, “Just the usuals of work and raising a kid. I'm going to go unpack this stuff in the guest room.”

As Thomas left the room with the luggage, Debbie sat in the chair by the window. As Debbie and Morgan began to chatter, Bill studied his Bubby. Bill examined her floral patterned blue-grey dress and her small earrings. Movement from out the window caught Bill's eye, and as he stared over Debbie's shoulder he was certain he saw a red cone hat disappear into the bushes.

Bill pointed at the window before exclaiming, “Red hat.”

Debbie craned her neck to look behind her, but saw nothing but the greens and browns of the forest outside, “What red, deary?”

“Bill saw hat,” stated Bill.

“Well, some strange things get seen every now and again out here, nothing to worry 'bout though.”

“What kind of strange things, mom?” asked Morgan, more curious than concerned it seemed.

“Oh, big ol' bats sometimes. Other strange things,” answered Debbie, “Lazy Susan called the other day saying she saw these little bearded people with red caps, but when I asked her about it the next day she looked at me like I was speaking another language. She acted so strange. Then there's that Mystery Shack, nothing actually real in there, but it's a nice tourist trap. Brings people into town.”

“Sounds like it might get exciting out here,” said Thomas, as he entered the room, “Hope it doesn't get dangerous though. Wouldn't want things to be risky for Bill when he visits.”

“Oh please, with me here, nothing will bother him,” said Debbie.

“Yeah, I know how dangerous it is to mess with you and your offspring,” said Thomas.

“Here, here,” said Morgan, “Took you forever to convince her to let you marry me.”

“Just wanted to make sure he was persistent enough,” claimed Debbie.

“And persist I did,” said Thomas proudly.

The three laughed and continued to chatter as Bill sipped at his juice. As he grew bored with looking around the room, he started to feel how tired he was from the trip. Bill tugged at Morgan's sleeve to get their attention.

“What is it Bill?” asked Morgan.

“Tired,” said Bill.

“Alright,” said Debbie, standing up, “I'll put you to bed.”

Bill reached out to Debbie as she picked him up and carried him up the stairs. Debbie started humming as she ascended the stairs, slowly lulling Bill to sleep. Bill felt safe with her, he felt like he trusted her. If his parents liked her, he was sure he would like his Bubby too.

 

– 30 months –

 

Bill sat in his booster seat, fidgeting excitedly. He could hardly contain his excitement for the day.

“You seem excited Bill,” said Thomas from the driver's seat, “Sorry Nonny couldn't be here today, but they had work.”

“I'm really excited,” said Bill.

“Well, you sure seem ready for preschool,” said Thomas, pulling into a parking lot and stopping the car.

Thomas stepped out before going over to Bill's door to pull him out. Bill insisted on walking into the preschool on his first day. As they entered the building, a pleasant woman behind a counter greeted them.

“Hello, I'm here to drop off my son,” said Thomas, “It's his first day.”

“Hi, I'm Bill,” said Bill confidently.

“Well hello there Bill,” said the woman, “So is he potty trained?”

“Yes,” answered Thomas, “Is there any paperwork I need to fill in?”

“Oh here, please sign here,” said the woman putting a piece of paper on the desk.

After the paperwork was signed, the woman led Bill and Thomas to the main room of the preschool. There were already a few toddlers playing around the room along with a few adults watching over them. Bill's gaze focused on a couple of kids drawing at a table with a pile of crayons in the center.

“Alrighty Bill,” said Thomas, kneeling down and ruffling Bill's light blond hair, “I'm gonna be going now. Think you'll be alright without me or Nonny?”

“Yes daddy,” said Bill.

“Alright, go have fun with other kids,” said Thomas, standing back up and patting Bill on the head.

Bill nodded at his dad before rushing over to the coloring table. As he approached, the other kids glanced at him, but seemed more interested in their doodling.

“Hello, I'm Bill,” said Bill to the other kids.

“Hi,” said one of the kids, a boy with black hair and narrow eyes.

“Can I draw here?”

“Yeah,” said the boy, before handing over a piece of paper, “Here.”

“Thanks,” said Bill taking the paper and shifting through the pile of crayons for a color he liked.

Bill finally found a bright yellow crayon and started drawing. He made crude circles and triangles on the page, occasionally looking over at the other kids' drawings. The boy who had greeted him was making a crude house with a dark red crayon.

“What drawing?” asked Bill.

“My house,” said the boy.

“It looks nice,” said Bill, before looking through the pile of crayons again.

“Thanks, I'm Jack.”

“Hi Jack,” said Bill, finally pulling out a black crayon.

Bill flipped over his paper and started drawing two circles, one inside the other, on the other side. In the middle of the circles he drew a triangle and then started putting lines to split the ring the circles made into multiple segments.

“What's that,” asked Jack, leaning over to watch Bill draw.

“A thing I like,” Bill replied quietly. He didn't know why he drew it, but he enjoyed it regardless.

“It's neat,” said Jack, “Wanna build with blocks?”

“Yeah,” said Bill.

The two stepped away from the table together, Bill following Jack as they walked over to one of the adults.

“Ma'am, can we play with the blocks?” asked Jack.

“Sure Jack, let me get them out for you.”

The woman took out a bin of large Lego blocks for the two, putting it down in a clear spot for them to play with. The two poured out the blocks and started putting them together. Bill started building a pyramid like he usually did, while Jack seemed satisfied with building a wall. The two continued their construction silently for a while, Bill focused on his pyramid while Jack took apart his wall and started building a tower out of the bricks.

Bill eventually started taking the pyramid apart so he could help build something more elaborate with Jack. Together they worked on a small, simple house out of the bricks.

Suddenly a man in the room spoke up, “Alright kids, nap time.”

Some of the kids complied, while others were more reluctant to go for a nap. Bill was more interested in playing than taking a nap. When Jack started taking apart what they were building and put the blocks away, Bill looked at him confused.

“We weren't done,” said Bill.

“Nap time,” stated Jack, “We need to put the toys away.”

“But I don't want to.”

“Bill we got to.”

“I want to keep building,” insisted Bill, pulling the blocks back out of the bin to keep building.

“It's nap time you two, come along,” said a woman who knelt down next to the two boys, “Tidy up and come along.”

“Bill doesn't want to,” said Jack.

“I'm still playing,” said Bill.

“You're new here, right Bill?” asked the woman.

“Yeah.”

“Well, we have a schedule here, Bill. Right now it's nap time, which means everyone has to put away their toys and go for a nap.”

“But I don't want to.”

“Bill, you're gonna get me in trouble,” said Jack, “Put them away.”

Bill grumbled for a moment before finally conceding and putting away the blocks, “Fine.”

After the blocks were put away, Bill reluctantly followed Jack to the nap room. Though he was reluctant, soon enough, Bill began to feel tired and let himself fall asleep.

 

– 3 years –

 

The world around Bill was a strange, shifting red and it was filled with disturbing calls and screeches. In his peripheral he saw dark figures. He felt angry and annoyed, but he couldn't understand why. He heard a strange, high pitched voice coming from him, but he couldn't understand what he was saying. Suddenly he spun around to look at the dark figures. The figures were horrific, nightmarish creatures standing before him.

 

Bill bolted up from his sleep, crying out. He was shaking from the nightmare as he scooted out of bed, stopping at his door. He peeked around the door into the hallway, afraid of seeing the monsters from his nightmare standing out there. When he saw nothing, he ran out and down the hall to his parents room, quickly opening the door.

“Nonny, dad,” Bill called out, standing in the doorway.

Bill's parents woke up and shifted about before registering that their son was calling for them.

“Bill what is it?” said Morgan, “Come here.”

Bill went over to the bed, climbing up onto it and clutching to Morgan, “I had a weird dream.”

“Did you have a nightmare?” asked Thomas.

“What...what's a nightmare?” asked Bill, gripping at the bed sheets, pulling them closer.

“That's what you usually call bad dreams,” said Morgan, embracing their son, soothing his short blond hair.

“Yeah, I had a bad dream,” said Bill with a sniffle, “I'm scared.”

“It's okay, it's okay,” soothed Morgan, as they ran their hand through Bill's hair, “You're safe. It was just a dream.”

“But it seemed different from my other dreams,” Bill said forcefully, looking up at Morgan.

“How so?” asked Thomas.

“Everything seemed real,” said Bill.

“Do you want to tell us what happened?” asked Thomas.

“Okay,” said Bill, sniffling slightly, “I was in a weird place that was really red. There were weird noises everywhere and I heard a weird voice. It was like it was me. I turned around and saw a bunch of scary monsters.”

“It's alright Bill,” said Morgan, “You don't need to worry. Nonny and daddy are here to protect you.”

“Thank you,” said Bill, curling up under the blankets.

“Want to sleep in here for tonight?” asked Thomas, softly patting Bill's head.

“Yeah,” Bill answered softly, giving a quick nod.

“Okay, let's get to sleep. We'll keep the nightmares away.”

 

 

– 4 years –

 

“He's having more of those dreams,” said Morgan, sitting on the couch with Thomas. It was late at night, the two had put Bill to sleep several hours prior. The only light in the room was provided by the TV.

“Those nightmares he gets?” asked Thomas.

“Yes. And the more I hear about them the more certain of what they are I become.”

“Memories, right?”

“He's starting to get them back. We need to tell him what's going on.”

“How do you explain something like that to a four year old?”

“I don't know, but we need to before he remembers something more significant on his own.”

“Like what he used to be?”

“Yes, we owe it to Bill to be proper guardians. And that means we should tell him what this is and why he's having to go through it.”

“I don't know. I don't want to do something that could hurt him.”

“The longer this goes on the more it will hurt when we finally do tell him. We can't try to hide the truth from him, if we do, when we finally let him know, he won't be able to trust us.”

“Where would we even start? Just up and say, 'Hey Bill, you know all those nightmares you've been having? Well they're actually memories.' How do you think he would take that?”

“We'd word it better than that, but we need to...” Morgan started saying before the creak of the door opening interrupted them.

In the doorway stood Bill, tears streaked down his face, his freckles still visible in the low light, it was clear he had woken up from another nightmare. All three stayed frozen for a moment, Bill staring at his parents, his parents staring back at him.

“Dad, what do you mean memories?” said Bill, breaking the silence and stepping into the room.

With a sigh, Thomas moved to kneel in front of Bill, “It's rather complicated. We were hoping we'd have time to plan out how we'd tell you these things, but I guess the Fates decided to get things moving. Come sit with us and we'll tell you.”

Bill walked with him, holding onto his dad's hand before being lifted onto the couch with his parents. Morgan had turned on the lights proper, coming back to the couch as Bill finally settled.

“Bill, you had another nightmare didn't you?” asked Morgan.

“Yeah, this one wasn't as scary, they don't scare me as much anymore,” answered Bill.

“Mind telling us about it?” asked Thomas.

“It's just more of that weird place with the monsters, but I felt really alone this time. I felt trapped.”

Thomas looked to Morgan before letting out another sigh, “These nightmares are a bit more than they may seem.”

“There's no point really beating around the bush, Thomas,” stated Morgan.

“Right, Bill, these dreams you've been having, these nightmares, they're memories. Now, I don't want to say everything, because the memories you've gotten back aren't enough to let us explain things properly to you.”

“What do you mean?” asked Bill, “How are they memories?”

“It's tough to explain,” said Morgan, running their thumb over the freckles on Bill's cheek, “But if you want us to try, then we'll try.”

“I just want to know why I'm getting them,” said Bill with a sob.

“Because... well, I guess because now you can comprehend them,” said Thomas, moving his hand to gently rub Bill's back.

“These memories existed before you were born, but when you were first born you couldn't really have these memories, they were just too much,” said Morgan, taking a gentle hold of Bill's hand, “Now that you're starting to understand the world around you more and are able to express yourself, they're starting to come back. What I need you to know, is one simple truth. No matter what you see in those dreams, no matter what you think you do in them, that isn't who you are _now_.”

“Do you understand a little Bill?” asked Thomas, taking Bill's other hand.

“Yeah,” answered Bill softly, before looking up at his parents, “Will you tell me more later?”

“If you ever feel confused about something, if you ever have something you want to know more about, we'll always be here to answer whatever question you have for us,” said Morgan.

“We're here for you Bill,” said Thomas, “We love you.”

“I love you too, nonny, dad,” said Bill, giving each a hug in turn.

“Think you can go back to sleep, or do you want to sleep with us tonight?”

“I'll be okay,” said Bill sliding off the couch, “If they're just memories I don't have to be afraid of them.”

“Memories can be some of the most painful things a person can carry Bill,” said Morgan, smoothing Bill's light golden blond hair, “Don't just wave these off. If anything feels wrong about them, tell us. Whenever you get these memories, please, let us know. Can you promise us that Bill?”

Morgan extended a hand to Bill, who took it and gave it a light shake, “It's a deal.”

 

 

– 6 years –

 

The day had arrived, Bill's sixth birthday. And so he waited for his couple of friends from kindergarten to arrive for the party. He had decided on having a pool party and was excited to finally use the swimming lessons that he had been getting for the past few summers. He was sitting in the living room, wearing his swim trunks and a light shirt, while he waited.

Soon enough, the doorbell rang, and Bill rushed to get the door, but Morgan, as always, was there long before him. They opened the door to Jack and his mother. Jack was holding a small rectangular box, wrapped neatly in gift wrap.

Bill pounced on Jack, pulling him into a hug, “Jack, you made it.”

“Hey Bill,” said Jack pushing Bill off of him, “Happy Birthday.”

“Thanks for coming Jack,” said Bill excitedly, before turning to Jack's mother, “Thank you for letting Jack come Ms. Elliot.”

“It's no problem dear,” said Ms. Elliot, “and Happy Birthday. How old are you today?”

“I'm six,” Bill said proudly.

“Are you going to be starting first grade at the end of the summer like Jack?”

“Yup.”

“Jack, why don't you put the gift you got on the kitchen table? Once Carlos gets here you can all go in the pool,” said Morgan, ushering in Jack. They started up conversation with Ms. Elliot while the two boys ran into the house.

“So what did you get me?” asked Bill.

“It's a surprise,” said Jack, pushing Bill lightly, “but I know you'll like it.”

“Come on, tell me.”

“No, it's a surprise.”

“Give me a hint at least.”

“Nuh-uh, you'll find out when you get to opening the rest of your presents.”

“Ugh, come on. At least give me something while we wait for Carlos.”

“Well you won't have to wait long Bill,” said a boy behind the two.

Bill spun on his heel to look at the person behind him. He was slightly taller than the other two, with fiery red hair, large 'Clark Kent' style glasses, and a spattering of freckles across his face. Under his arm was a large wrapped box.

“Carlos,” Bill shouted as he tackled the other boy, “about time you got here.”

“Come on,” replied Carlos, “let me put your gift down so we can go to your pool.”

“No going out till you three get sunscreen on,” said Thomas from the kitchen.

The kids responded with a groan that he was quick to answer, “Hey now, I ain't getting blamed for either of you two getting sunburns, and I know how easily you can burn Carlos. And you Bill, I'm not going to have you complaining about a sunburn for a week if it can be helped.”

The three conceded to putting on the sunscreen before they rushed out the glass door that led to the backyard and pool. Outside, Morgan was already setting out towels and had placed a large pitcher of their homemade lemonade on the patio table.

“You three ready to start celebrating?” asked Morgan.

“Yes Mre. Pherci,” said Carlos and Jack, almost in unison, “Thanks for having us.”

“Oh it's no problem,” they said, “Go on and have fun, I'll be right here if you boys need anything.”

The three boys quickly took off their shirts, throwing them on the chairs on the patio, before going towards the pool. They started shoving each other, threatening to push each other in first before Carlos stopped, staring at Bill.

“Hey Bill,” said Carlos, pointing at Bill, “What's that on you chest?”

“Huh,” replied Bill, looking down at his chest, “Oh, you mean my birthmark?”

“That's a birthmark?” asked Carlos surprised. The mark was much darker than a normal birthmark, it was a perfect triangle in the center of Bill's chest.

“Yeah, is... is something wrong about it?” asked Bill, turning his gaze away and crossing his arms over his chest to hide the mark.

“Huh? Oh, no. It's kinda cool,” said Carlos apologetically.

“If you two are done chatting,” said Jack, suddenly shoving Bill into the pool, “We've got a party to be having.”

Bill came up sputtering and scowling at Jack, but broke out in a grin and started laughing at when Jack only smiled down at him.

“Welp, you two,” said Bill swimming backwards, “are you going to join me or not.”

“Yep, you first Jack,” said Carlos, pushing Jack into the pool, cannonballing in after him.

The three laughed at each other, splashing each other, and making a ruckus. The jumped out every now and again to jump back in. They competed with each other to see who could hold their breath the longest, with Bill being the proud victor.

After they started getting tired, the three finally decided to get out of the pool and dry off. With Morgan reminding them to rinse off, and passing Thomas as he went to start grilling burgers for lunch, they went to the bathroom attached to Bill's room. Bill got to shower off first, with the other two waiting outside as he rinsed. After they all rinsed off and dried off again, the three went to kitchen to eat lunch.

Thomas was coming in at the same time as the boys, “Alright, who's ready for burgers?”

“I am,” said the three in unison, running to sit at the table.

“Alright, here ya three go.”

The three dug into their burgers, having already been put together with the proper condiments and veggies. The three chattered excitedly as they ate, eventually finishing their burgers and continuing to sit and chatter.

Eventually the lights in the kitchen were turned off and the three turned to the doorway to see Morgan holding a cake with six candles lit on it. They smiled at Bill, as everyone began to sing 'Happy Birthday.'

“Alright, time for the birthday boy to have make a wish,” said Morgan, bringing the cake over to Bill. Bill took a deep breath, holding it as he thought of a wish. He decided to wish to have fun with his friends and family as long as he could. Bill blew out the candles, being able to blow all of them out in one go. Everyone cheered for him before Morgan cut a slice out for the boys, Bill getting a bigger piece than the other two.

After the cake was finished, it was finally time to get to the main event of the party, the presents. Bill was practically vibrating with excitement as Thomas handed him a large box. Bill quickly scanned the card, noting it had both his non's and dad's handwriting, before thanking them and ripping into the box. As he kind of expected his first gift from them was clothes, but at least it was a really cool Godzilla shirt and a nice pair of jeans.

Bill was handed Carlos' gift next, he read the card since it was a funny dog one and he could see that not much was written on it. It was a simple 'Happy Birthday' note and earned a laugh from Bill, who thanked Carlos, while giving him a gentle shove. He ripped open the paper and stared in awe at the box. It was a Bionicle set that said Muaka and Kane-ra on the front, showing something that looked like a bull-thing and a weird cat thing on the front as well.

“Oh that's so cool,” exclaimed Bill, “It's two Bionicles in one set. Thank you so much Carlos, this is the best.”

“I'm glad you like it,” Carlos replied, “What did you get him Jack?”

“Well, it's not Bionicle, but I think you'll like it Bill,” answered Jack, handing over the small gift.

Bill again, scanned the card, this one being more plain, but still short, before ripping open the wrapping. He practically started shaking when he saw what was underneath, when he finally got all the paper off he held it out at arms length to get a good look at the DVD case. It was a Godzilla movie that he hadn't seen yet, “Godzilla: Final Wars.”

“Oh my God,” Bill shouted, “Jack this is awesome. You know how much I love Godzilla.”

“You're welcome,” said Jack with a smile, “Let's all watch it later during the sleepover.”

“Good idea,” said Carlos, before turning to Mre. And Mr. Pherci, “It's alright if we watch it, right?”

“As long as we get to watch it too,” answered Thomas with a smile.

“This is gonna be the best birthday ever,” said Bill.

“Now Bill,” started Morgan, “Tom and I have one more gift for you. We know how much you were interested in getting into music so...”

Morgan pulled out a large instrument case with the Yamaha brand on it. They handed it to Bill, who had set aside room on the table for it, giving him a warm smile. Slowly, Bill opened the case to reveal the alto saxophone inside. He practically leapt up to give his parents a hug.

“Thank you so much,” Bill said.

“You're welcome,” said Thomas, “We knew you'd like it.”

“How did you know I wanted to play saxophone?”

“You mention how much you love the sound of tenor sax whenever you hear Jazz with it in it,” answered Morgan, “So we figured we'd start you on alto till you got big enough to play tenor.”

“Thank you so, so much. I love you two so much.”

“Okay, okay,” said Morgan, pealing Bill off of them, “Go play with your friends, why don't you.”

Bill gave them one more smile before going over to Jack and Carlos to start putting together the new Bionicles with them. This was his sixth birthday, the summer before he started first grade, and it was absolutely great.

 

 

– That Night –

 

Bill was talking to a man he hadn't seen before. The man had glasses and six fingers on both hands. Bill had found the person he had been waiting for, he had found his pawn. Now all he needed to do was fool this pathetic human into trusting him, that should be easy enough.

 

 

Bill woke with a start, panting heavily as he peered into the darkness of his room. He could hear the breathing of Jack and Carlos from the floor of either side of his bed. Slowly, and as quietly as he could, Bill pulled out a notebook and a pen, before tip-toeing out of the room and into the kitchen.

Turning on the light, Bill sat at the table and wrote down his dream.

“No,” Bill whispered to himself, “They're memories, don't mix those up.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gods this was a long chapter, if this turns out the longest chapter in this whole thing I don't know if I'll laugh or cry. Anyway, I'm currently working on chapter three so keep an eye out for it and please have patience with me. It may take a while for the next chapter to be uploaded since I have finals coming up, so I hope you understand.


	3. The Procession

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! Sorry if this took a while, was busy with finals. Anyway, we're getting places in this chapter! I just wanted to share a link to a video for the Bar Mitzvah. My beta reader said it was useful so I'll leave it here if you wish to see it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_9tD7lG8pc  
> Enjoy the chapter!

Bill gave a groan, letting his head fall on his desk. Today was suppose to be a good day. It was the last day of school, that evening would be the end of the year concert, which Bill had been looking forward to, but none of that mattered. All the great things about today had been overshadowed by the news that his parents had given him last night. They were moving at the end of summer.

The bell rang and, as every other student cheered and rushed to get out of school to start their summers, Bill sat still at his desk. He budged when he felt someone poke him in the arm, looking up to see Jack and Carlos. They had sympathetic looks on their faces, which didn't make Bill feel any better.

“I don't wanna move,” whined Bill, burying his head in his arms.

“Come on Bill,” said Carlos, “it's not the end of the world. We still have this summer and can still talk online.”

“Yeah, but it still sucks,” said Bill, finally getting his stuff together.

As Bill slung his backpack over his shoulders, Jack said, “You've got a lot to look forward to this summer too. Finally turning thirteen like us.”

“Yeah, and my Bar Mitzvah,” said Bill with a sigh, putting on a proud smirk, “Glad you two will be in town for it.”

“You're gonna do awesome,” said Jack. The three stepped out of the school to get picked up.

When Bill saw his non's SUV his smirk fell to a scowl as he started to walk away from his friends, “See ya 'round guys.”

“See ya tonight Bill,” Carlos and Jack said in unison before heading to their parent's cars.

Bill opened the car door quickly and hopped in, buckling up and glaring out the window.

Morgan looked over their shoulder at Bill before asking, “So, how was your last day of seventh grade?”

Bill sat silently as Morgan continued to stare at him.

“Still mad at me and dad I see,” they said, giving a sigh and turning around to start driving home, “You can't stay mad at us forever you know.”

Morgan was only answered with further silence.

“Okay Bill,” said Morgan, “I get why you're mad at us, but giving me the silent treatment won't solve anything. I've told you before, if something is bothering you tell us. Things never get better if you stay silent.”

“I don't want to move,” said Bill finally.

“Why?” asked Morgan.

“Because I don't want to leave my friends,” answered Bill, his scowl deepening, “I like living here.”

“Who's to say you won't like living in California?” asked Morgan, “And with your friends, with the wonders of the internet, you could stay in touch with them even if we were moving to England.”

Bill simply grumbled in response, he had to admit that they were right, but he didn't have to like it.

As the car pulled into the driveway, Morgan asked, “When is the concert again, Bill?”

“I have to be there at six, but you know I want to be early,” answered Bill, hopping out of the car.

“Alright, we'll leave at half till then,” said Morgan, stepping from the car, “That work for you?”

“Yeah,” said Bill with a nod.

Bill and his dad exchanged greetings as Bill got inside and started going to his room.

Morgan called after Bill as he ran to his room, “It's three twenty-one now, so keep an eye on the clock Bill.”

“Right,” Bill called back, tossing his backpack on his desk chair and collapsing on his queen bed.

Bill let out a groan, flopping over onto his back. He stared up at his ceiling for a while, before looking around his room. His eyes passed over the collection of Bionicles on the shelves of the room, the multiple Godzilla DVDs and toys on another group of shelves. His tenor sax, that he had gotten when he passed the four foot six marker, was next to the desk along with the old alto.

Bill flipped over again and crawled across his bed, before rummaging through his nightstand. He pulled out his old 'Memory' journal and started thumbing through it, looking at the memories of his past life. The latest entry had been written Monday of that week. He had been talking to that six fingered man again, this time Bill was showing him equations that Bill couldn't comprehend. Bill had grown use to the fact that, even if these were memories, they didn't necessarily make sense.

Bill tossed the journal back in the nightstand, deciding to just play on his 3DS for a while. When the clock finally hit 5:10, Bill saved his game and started to get ready for the concert.

As he put on his Jazz vest, Bill began to feel his nervousness build. He had a solo in the concert and the gravity of that was only starting to hit him. Bill tried to take a few deep breaths to relax as he pulled out his music binder and put his tenor on the bed. He checked the binder for all the music he'd need that night and examined his reeds, making sure his best one wasn't split or chipped. With everything in order he stepped out of his room and down the hall to the living room.

Morgan and Thomas were waiting on the couch, having been watching TV. They both looked over and gave Bill warm smiles, which he couldn't help but return.

“Alright young man,” said Thomas standing up, “Let me fix that hair of yours.”

“Dad, my hair is fine,” said Bill.

Thomas bent down and started grooming Bill's hair, despite his son's protests, with a comb that he had gotten from apparently nowhere. He checked Bill's bow tie, impressed at how well Bill had tied it on his own.

“You did good on your bow tie,” said Thomas, looking Bill over.

“Yep,” said Bill proudly, “I've been practicing tying it.”

“I think you're probably the only kid in the entire Jazz band that uses an actual bow tie instead of one of those pre-tied things,” said Thomas as he straightened up, beaming at his son.

Bill scratched at the back of his head, embarrassed by his dad's praise.

“Alright you two,” said Morgan from the door, “ _Time_ to get going.”

“Ugh,” groaned Thomas, “I thought those were my jokes.”

“One day I'll get what you two are talking about,” said Bill, rolling his eyes, “Let's go.”

Morgan laughed as they followed Bill out of the door. Bill was jittery during the car drive, constantly checking his music and continuously touching the instrument case as if to make sure it was still there.

“Bill you'll do fine,” said Morgan, “Enough with the shpilkes.”

“I'm just nervous about my solo,” said Bill sheepishly.

“It'll be fine,” said Thomas, “Just breathe.”

Bill took a deep breath as the car parked outside the school. Bill said his goodbyes to his parents before gathering up his stuff and heading to the band room.

Bill entered the band room, greeting the other kids as he started to put together his instrument and warm up.

Suddenly, someone grabbed Bill by the shoulders, making him jump in surprise. He quickly looked around and saw Jack and Carlos grinning at him.

“Hey there Bill,” said Jack, spinning his drumsticks in his hand, “How you doing?”

“I'm alright,” said Bill, giving a sigh, “Just kind of nervous about the concert and all.”

“What?” said Carlos, “Come on dude, you're really good. I'm sure you'll do fine.”

“I know, but I'm still nervous,” said Bill, starting to take deep breaths to calm himself.

“Alright everyone,” suddenly came the voice of Mrs. Allen, the band director, “gather round, we're about to start.”

Everyone in the room scurried around and into their places with their sections.

Once everyone was in their sections Mrs. Allen continued, “Alright, first out is concert band, then advanced band, then Jazz last. Now there is no playing in here during performances, it'll be heard on stage, so don't do it.”

“Okay, everyone,” said Mrs. Allen, lifting her arms. As if on cue, everyone in the room lifted their instruments to begin warm-up.

The students went through the warm-up, followed by the concert band tuning quickly. Once all the concert band kids were done tuning they lined up, Jack waving back at Bill and Carlos as he got in line, and marched out to the stage.

Bill and Carlos sat around quietly, waiting for it to be time for the jazz band to go out, quietly blowing air through their instruments to keep them warmed up.

“This is always so boring,” whispered Carlos, “Jack's lucky, percussion gets to be out there in all three bands.”

“Yeah, but it kinda sucks too,” whispered back Bill, “Cause he has to be out there the entire time and can't hang out.”

“What're you gonna do before your birthday?” asked Carlos, messing with the spit-valve on his trombone.

“Eh,” said Bill, shrugging his shoulders before adjusting his neck-strap, “Probably just gonna be working on getting ready for my bar mitzvah. Still working on the speech, I've got a good idea what it'll be about though, so that makes things easier.”

“Oh yeah, when is that again?” asked Carlos.

“July thirteenth,” answered Bill, as the concert band came back in and the advanced band warmed up, “A week after my birthday.”

“Oooh, Friday the thirteenth,” said Carlos, wiggling his fingers.

Bill rolled his eyes, “You've made that joke, like, five times now.”

“That's not even a joke,” said Carlos, raising an eyebrow, “It's an observation.”

“You're trying to be funny, so I'm counting it as an attempted joke,” said Bill.

“Fine,” Carlos groaned out, “How long are we gonna have to wait?”

“The advanced band just went out,” said Bill dramatically, “Just wait another half-hour.”

“But I don't want to wait,” whined Carlos.

“When did you become so impatient?” asked Bill.

“I just want summer to start already,” answered Carlos, more solemnly, “It's the last summer I get to spend with you Bill.”

Bill's expression fell as he remembered that he'd be moving at the end of summer.

With a sigh, Bill said, “Yeah, I know. I'm gonna miss you guys a lot.”

“At least we can still play games online, right?” asked Carlos, “We always talk on Skype all the time when we're playing anyway.”

“Yeah, I'm not gonna stop talking to you guys,” said Bill, giving Carlos a soft shove, “You can't get rid of me that easily.”

The two exchanged a few laughs, being shushed by a few of the uptight kids in the room. They waved the others off, grinning at each other.

“Anyway,” started Carlos, “Are you gonna be going to Gravity Falls this summer?”

“Yeah, it's kind of a tradition at this point,” said Bill, “I visit Bubby every summer.”

“Get me something,” demanded Carlos.

“Fine,” said Bill, “I'll be sure to get something for you and Jack. If it's a crappy gift shop thing, don't blame me.”

“Oh come on,” said Carlos, with a smirk, “Get me something from that Mystery Shack place, I don't care if it's a crappy gift shop knickknack, I don't care.”

“Fine, I'll try to find something,” said Bill.

After a while more of waiting, the advanced band finally came back in. Mrs. Allen had the jazz band warm up and tune again before she led them on stage.

Bill took his seat on the stage, putting his music on the stand and taking a few deep breaths before looking out towards the audience. The lights made it impossible to make out anyone in the crowd, at least that wouldn't make him any more nervous.

Mrs. Allen gave her usual introduction speech, before taking her place in front of the band and raising her baton.

_And here we go,_ thought Bill as he brought his instrument to his mouth and took a deep breath.

The first piece started with a blare from everyone that quickly sunk down into a quick, but smooth beat. The trumpets rang out with a phrase to be answered by the saxophones. The two sections went back and forth at each other before the trombones interrupted and the band played together. Bill's whole body moved with the beat, but his sound was steady and strong. Everyone quieted down as the kid on bass did his solo, strumming away at the instrument that was taller than him. As the band came back in at the end of the solo, the crowd applauded as the piece continued. There was another conversation between the trombones and the clarinets this time, with the saxes and trumpets commenting in ever now and again. As the piece reached its end the sections came together again, ending with a rowdy blare.

The crowd cheered as Mrs. Allen pointed out Trent on bass for his solo. Once everyone quieted down again, Mrs. Allen announced the next piece, _Sing, Sing, Sing_. Bill looked to the girl next to him, Ana, who was second chair, and down at the other tenors to see if they were ready for the next piece. They all gave a nod and looked up at Mrs. Allen who began to snap her fingers to give them a beat.

At the end of her count off, Jack started going crazy on the drum set, followed by the trombones coming in with the beat. The trumpets blared as Mrs. Allen pointed to them before the rest of the band came in with the tune. The saxes carried the tune along with the clarinets, before a back and forth happened with the woodwinds and the brass. The first chair clarinet stood for her solo, the energy of the band dulling so she could be heard. At the end of her solo, over the crowds applause, the trombones growled low before being joined by the trumpets. As the piece rolled on, Bill could feel himself smirking. Soon, the first chair alto sax stood for her solo in the piece, showing off her improvisation skills for the crowd. The whole room was impressed by her display and cheered loudly when she sat back down.

As Mrs. Allen cut off the band at the end of the piece, the audience erupted in cheer again. Bill took a deep breath, it was time for his solo. When Mrs. Allen signaled for him to stand up and step forward, he swallowed hard and did as they had practiced. He moved his stand forward, pulling it up to eye level, and put on as confident a face as he could. The slow tempo was given and the band started the piece, _Angel Eyes_.

This piece was far more solemn than the previous two, as the saxes and the trumpets came in quietly, before giving a swell. As the band sunk back down, Bill started to belt out the smooth melody. He made his sax wail and cry, answered by the band every now and again. Bill felt his brows furrow as his expression became melancholy, and he stepped away from the music stand towards the edge of the stage. He could hear a few in the crowd make impressed gasps as he sauntered around the stage. This was his goodbye to the band, if he had to leave, he was going to leave in a way that would be remembered. He went to the end of the stage and stepped down the stairs there, down among the audience. As he descended, the glare of the lights faded and he could start to make out the faces out there.

His eyes scanned automatically for his parents who were near the front, by one of the walkways. Their eyes were practically gleaming with pride and Bill took that to keep him steady. He moved among the crowd, just as he and Mrs. Allen had discussed the weeks before. He noticed that everyone in the other bands were sitting in the crowd as well. At points, the crowd would cheer, and Bill gave them a reason to, he gave them a show. At the tempo change, Bill felt his lips pull into a smirk around his mouthpiece. The music was suddenly far cheerier, and Bill looked back at the band with that proud smirk that he had grown known by at this school. He moved back to the stage as the band played without him for a moment. The music dropped back to being somber as Bill reached the middle of the stage. The piece lasted a few more moments, as Bill pulled out the stops, bending the notes dramatically as the music came to an end.

The crowd erupted as he took the sax away from his mouth, and Bill bowed as Mrs. Allen instructed. The rest of the jazz band stood and took their bow as well.

“That was Bill Pherci, on tenor sax everybody,” said Mrs. Allen, sweeping her arm towards him, “Give him another hand, and one for the jazz band too.”

The crowd cheered again, louder than before, and Bill could feel his cheeks start to burn. He was bursting with pride, but also burning with embarrassment from the attention.

“I'd just like to say thank you to everyone for coming out,” said Mrs. Allen, “And wanted to give a special gift to Bill. Since you'll be moving away during the summer and won't be returning to us for one more year, the jazz band wanted to get you something to remember us by.”

Mrs. Allen picked up a wooden plaque from a podium at the side of stage and continued, “Bill Pherci, in recognition of your astounding growth and dedication to the band program, and as our way of wishing you luck on your journeys outside of Nevada, I and the Calomb Middle School Jazz Ensemble would like to present you with this plaque.”

Mrs. Allen flipped the plaque to show the golden lettering on the other side. Written on the plaque, under the emblem of the school, were the words;

 

To Bill Pherci,

Good luck on your journeys

For your dedication to music

And for being a part of our band

May music always be a pleasure in your life

Thank you

 

The Calomb Middle School Music Program

 

Mrs. Allen handed the plaque to Bill with a warm smile, and Bill responded with a smile of his own, feeling tears start to prick at his eyes. He looked over at the band to see them all smiling at him, Jack and Carlos having the biggest grins, as the crowd clapped for him again.

“Thank you so much for Mrs. Allen,” Bill said, trying to keep himself from crying, “Thank you everyone. This is amazing. I'll miss you all so much.”

Mrs. Allen motioned for everyone to clear the stage before she began to give her usual end of concert speech to the audience. As the kids gathered in the band room, they all cheered for Bill, patting his shoulders and saying their goodbyes. Eventually, the other kids dispersed as they put away their instruments and eventually started to leave with their parents. Bill finished putting away his tenor and waved goodbye to Jack and Carlos.

After a few minutes, Bill's parents came in and practically ran to their son. Morgan pulling him into a rib crushing hug.

“That was amazing,” exclaimed Morgan, loosening their embrace so Bill could breathe, “I can't believe you gave us such an amazing performance.”

“You did great Bill,” said Thomas, “I don't have the words to describe it.”

“Thanks,” said Bill, pulling out of Morgan's hug so he could pick his stuff up, “It was a lot of fun.”

“Well, are you ready to go home?” asked Morgan, “I'm going to treat you to a great meal for tonight.”

“Yeah, let's go home, I want to start my summer,” said Bill with a smile.

 

– July 13th, 2012 –

 

Bill was sitting in an office, breathing deeply to steady himself. He wore a new, golden kippah atop his head, and a new black suit with a white dress shirt and deep blue tie. Bill messed with the tie, checking the knot for the tenth time that evening.

The door opened and Rabbi Lehvi walked in, followed by cantor Beth and Bill's parents. Thomas wore a light gray suit, with a gray and white tallit over his shoulders, a golden kippah on his head. Morgan had a dark gray suit, that was far more slimming than Thomas'. Their tallit was white with dark purple strips on it, though they wore the same gold kippah. Rabbi Lehvi gave Bill a big smile, extending her hand, which Bill took for a firm hand shake.

“Today's the day, young man,” said Rabbi Lehvi, “Are you ready for your bar mitzvah?”

Bill took a deep breath, then nodded as he let out it out, “Yeah... yeah I think I'm ready.”

“You've been working so hard for this Bill,” said Morgan, “We believe in you.”

“Thank you non,” said Bill, giving them a hug.

The rabbi motioned for Bill to follow, and, with another deep breath, Bill followed her to the synagogue. Bill took a seat at the back of the raised area at the front, near the Ark, as the rabbi and cantor set things up for the service. Thomas and Morgan sat on either side of Bill, giving him warm smiles.

Soon the synagogue began to fill with people, many of which put on the gold kippahs that Bill's family had provided for the service. Bill gave a smile and nod as he saw Jack and Carlos walk in and the two of them waved in turn.

Beth began to strum on her guitar when it looked like the room was mostly full, starting to sing as the people quieted down. The song wasn't a prayer or hymn, but more music to get everyone in the mood of the service. It was pleasant and made everyone in the crowd smile.

As the singing came to an end, Rabbi Lehvi spoke, “Shabbat Shalom.”

“Shabbat Shalom,” the congregation responded quietly.

“Oh come on, you can do better than that,” said Lehvi, “Shabbat Shalom.”

“Shabbat Shalom,” replied the congregation, louder this time.

“Alright then,” she said with a smile, “We are so delighted for you all to join us this evening, as we go on a spiritual journey, with Bill as our guide. Please be sure that your phones are off. Please don't let these interrupt the service.”

Lehvi began the first prayer of the service, with the congregation following in song. At the end of the prayer, Rabbi Lehvi waved Bill over to her.

“Bill, we invite you up as we continue our Shabbat service,” said Levhi, “You are about to receive your tallit, please lead the prayer at the top of page seven hundred and eighty.”

Bill leaned over the prayer book and spoke the prayer in Hebrew, leading the congregation as they read along silently. His voice wavered slightly with nervousness as he led them on.

As the prayer ended, Rabbi Lehvi spoke again, “Bill, we invite up your parents, who will now present you with your tallit, which you will wear as you lead us through prayers in this service. You will be wrapped in the embrace of our tradition, this can be found on page one hundred and seventy-one.”

Bill's parents held behind him an off-white tallit with beautiful, golden embroidery along its length and Bill began the prayer.

“As I wrap myself in the tallit, I fulfill the mitzvah of my creator,” said Bill, “Blessed Adonai, oh my soul, Adonai my God, how great you are. You are robed in glory and majesty. Wrapped yourself in light as a garment, spreading forth to the heavens like a curtain.”

Bill swallowed hard before continuing, “Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu melekh ha'olam asher kidishanu b'mitz'votav v'tzivanu l'hit'ateif ba-tzitzit. Blessed are you Adonai, our God, ruler of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to wrap ourselves in the fringes.”

Thomas and Morgan wrapped the tallit around Bill's shoulders as he finished the prayer, kissing him on the cheek and giving him reasuring squeezes to the shoulder. Bill smiled at them nervously as they then returned to their seats at the back of the raised stage.

Rabbi Levhi stepped forward and began to speak, “Now with your tallit, Bill, we continue with your guidance.”

The prayers continued, with Bill leading the service, helped and guided by Rabbi Lehvi as the high point of the service approached.

“Soon, we will remove the Torah from our Ark, and Bill will not only read the Torah portion for this Shabbat, Parshat Pinchas from the book of Numbers, but also teach us about the importance of this particular Torah portion.”

“We have a number of honors to extend this Shabbat, the first among them is to open the holy Ark. To open the holy Ark, we invite Grandma Debbie Mendel, and since we are opening the holy Ark, we ask all who are able to please rise.”

The cantor lead the congregation in the prayer as the rabbi and Debbie opened the Ark behind Bill. Rabbi Lehvi held the Torah and carried it to the front of the stage as the prayer came to an end.

“Bill, I am about to pass the Torah through three generations of your family,” said Lehvi, “starting with your grandma Debbie, to you father Thomas, who I have known for twenty-two years, to your non, who I've known for thirty-seven. And finally to you. It's a great honor to be able to see, not only the relationship of your parents grow, but to marry them, and then have the privilege of seeing you grow into such a good young man. Remember this moment, as you pass the Torah onto your children, and onto your grandchildren.”

As Lehvi passed the Torah to Debbie's arms, the cantor began to sing a prayer. Debbie passed the Torah into Thomas' arms, who passed it on to Morgan in turn. Morgan turned to Bill and gently passed the Torah into his arms. The cloth wrapped scroll was incredibly heavy, but Bill was able to keep it up, with Rabbi Lehvi helping to steady it in his arms. Lehvi pointed to the spot in the prayer book that Bill was to read from once the cantor was finished leading the current prayer.

Once the cantor finished, Bill began the next prayer. Once he finished the rabbi and cantor started another prayer as Bill was lead to carry the Torah around the synagogue. The congregation moved to touch their tallits to the Torah and to quietly wish each other Shabbat Shalom. As the prayer finished, Bill returned to the stage and, after Lehvi removed the covering, placed the Torah on the lectern. The Torah was opened to that evening's portion, Parshat Pinchas.

“Bill will soon lead us reading this evening's Torah portion,” said Lehvi, “First, we invite forward to the bimah for the first Aliyah, Elliot Marten, Leah Marten, Drake Marten, Rachel Corsh, Michael Corsh, and Leo Corsh”

Rabbi Lehvi sang out the Hebrew names of Bill's aunts, uncles, and cousins as they came to the stage from the congregation.

When they were all standing about Bill they chanted together, “Barchu et Adonai ham'vorach.”

“Barchu et Adonai ham'vorach l'olam va-ed,” replied the congregation. Bill was starting to feel more nervous as the time to read got closer.

“Baruch Adonai Ham'vorach l'olam va-ed,” the relatives said, “Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ha-olam, asher bachar banu miko ha-amim, v'natan lanu et Torohto, Baruch Ata Adonai Notain ha Torah.”

The congregation answered together, “Amen.”

As they finished, Bill's relatives took a step back so he had room to breathe. This was it, time for him to read from the Torah.

Bill took a deep breath before he began to chant shakily, “Amen. Vaiedaber Adonai el'Moshe lemor. Pinchas ben-Elazar ben-Aharon hakohen heshiv et-chamati meal beney-Yisrael bekano et-kinati betocham velo-chiliti et-beney-Yisrael bekinati.”

After a pause for breath, Bill continued, gaining some steadiness in his voice, “Lachen emor hineni noten lo et-briti shalom. Vehaita lo ulezaro acharav brit kehunat olam tachat asher kine lElohav vaichaper al-beney Yisrael. Veshem ish Yisrael hamuke asher huka et-haMidyanit Zimri ben-alu nesi veyt-av la-Shimoni.”

As Bill finished that verse, his relatives spoke another prayer, “Baruch atah Adonai Ehlohaynu mehlech haolahm, asher natan lanu tohraht emet, v'chyaya olahm nata b'toechaynnu. Baruch atah Adonai, notayn haTorah.”

Bill straightened up as his relatives moved to the right of the bimah, patting his shoulder and kissing the top of his head, and Lehvi stepped forward again, “For our second Aliyah, we invite up Dean Pherci, Matt Pherci, Gabriel Brim, and Lee Brim.”

The aunts and uncles from Bill's father's side of the family stood and approached the bimah, as Rabbi Lehvi said their Hebrew names. They gathered at his left leaning over to touch their prayer books and tallit to the Torah.

Together, the four began, “ Barchu et Adonai ham'vorach.”

The congregation replied, “ Barchu et Adonai ham'vorach l'olam va-ed.”

_This is going alright,_ Bill thought, _I can do this. No need to be shaky._

Bill's relatives continued the prayer, “Baruch Adonai Ham'vorach l'olam va-ed. Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ha-olam, asher bachar banu miko ha-amim, v'natan lanu et Torohto, Baruch Ata Adonai Notain ha Torah.”

“Amen,” rang through the synagogue. Bill took another deep breath and looked down at the Torah. He could do this, he'd been practicing for this for months and he could do this.

“Veshem haisha hamuka haMidyanit Kozbi vat-Tsur rosh umot beyt-av beMidyan hu. Vaidaber Adonai el-Moshe lemor. Tzaror et-hamidyanim vehikitem otam,” Bill chanted out, continuing the verse, “Ki tsorim hem lachem benichleyhem asher-niklu lachem al-devar peor veal-devar Kozbi vat-nesi Midyan achotam. Hamuka veyom-hamagefa al-dvar-Peor.”

The relatives standing to Bill's left spoke the prayer as he finished, “Baruch atah Adonai Ehlohaynu mehlech haolahm, asher natan lanu tohraht emet, v'chyaya olahm nata b'toechaynnu. Baruch atah Adonai, notayn haTorah.”

As they moved to go to his right, his aunts and uncles kissed Bill's cheeks and the top of his head, whispering, “Mazal tov.”

“For the third Aliyah,” Lehvi announced, “We invite up Rachael and Nathan Kern.”

Again, Bill's relatives rose with their Hebrew names and approached the bimah.

Again the prayer was said and Bill continued with his chant, “Vatikravna benot Tslofchad ben-Chefer ben-Gilad ben-Machir ben-menasheh lemishpechot Menasheh ven-Yosef veele shmot benotav Machlah Noah veChoglah uMilkah veTirtsah. Vataamodna lifney Moshe velifney Elazar hakohen velifney hanesiim vechol-haeda petac ohel-moed lemor.”

Bill coughed lightly, a bit too close to the microphone, and caused the room to fill with the harsh sound. He could feel his cheeks turning red as he tried to get his place back. Suddenly, there was a firm grip on his shoulder from cantor Beth, which steadied him.

Bill took in a deep breath and slowly let himself deflate as it escaped his lips.

Centered again, Bill found his place and continued, “Avinu met bamidbar vehu lo-haiya betoch haeda hanoadim al-Adonai baadat-Korach ki-vecheto met uvanim lo-haiy lo. Lama yigara shem-avinu mitoch mishpachto ki eyn lo ben tnah-lanu achuza betoch achey avinu.”

Once again, Bill's relatives to his left spoke the prayer for after the Torah reading. This time Rabbi Lehvi called up two of Bill's Hebrew teachers to speak the Aliyah. The first group of relatives returned to the congregation as his teachers came up.

This pattern of calling up family and friends for the Aliyah and reading the Torah portion continued till, at last, Bill read the final portion with his non and dad standing next to him. Bill spoke the prayer for after the Torah reading.

Rabbi Lehvi patted Bill's shoulders, as she spoke, “We now ask Grandma Debbie to help us cover the Torah, which she shall hold. We ask all who are able to please stand, for this is the Torah, which Moses read before the Jewish people, to fulfill the word of God.”

Lehvi lifted the the Torah up, turning and unfurling it so that the portion that had been read, could be seen by all in the congregation. As cantor Beth sang a prayer, Lehvi placed the Torah back down on the bimah. Grandma Debbie came up to help put the cloth covering back onto the scroll and carried it gently back to her seat on the stage.

After Debbie was comfortably seated, Lehvi continued, “You may all be seated. Bill will now read for us this week's Haftarah portion, Kings eighteen fourty-six to nineteen twenty-one.”  
Bill took another deep breath before chanting out the Haftarah. The service continued on into the night, till it was finally time for Bill to deliver the sermon on the week's Torah portion.

Bill looked out at the congregation, many of the people sitting out in the crowd were familiar. He had seen many of his fellow temple goers for years, even if he had never learned their names. His eyes fell on his relatives, few of whom he had ever properly met before, and on his friends, Jack and Carlos, who looked obviously bored, yet still happy to be there, from having to sit around for so long. Bill couldn't really blame them, he was usually bored during services as well, but he was glad they were there and at least appeared to be trying to pay attention.

After looking down at the speech he had typed out again, Bill began, “In this week's Torah portion, Aaron's grandson, Pinchas is rewarded by God with a covenant of peace and priesthood for his zealotry in killing the Simeonite prince Zimri and the Midianite princess. Also in this portion, Moses is instructed to take a census of the people and is instructed on how the land is to be divided by lottery among the tribes and families of Israel. The five daughters of Tzelafchad petition Moses that they be granted the portion of land belonging to their father, who had died without sons. God accepts their claim and incorporates it into the Torah's laws of inheritance.”

Bill took a breath before finishing his summary, “Finally, Moses chooses Joshua to succeed him and lead the people into the Land of Israel.”

“The lesson I got from this week's Torah portion is different from those I have heard before,” said Bill, “I learned that if you take action and speak up, you can do something exceptional and be a force for change. Pinchas was made a kohen, even though it was a rule in the Torah that kohen could only be born into the family kohanim. This honor, this exception to the rule, was given to him for going far beyond what was expected of him. Also relating to rules is the daughters of Tzelafchad, who were able to change the laws of inheritance.”

“If these women had stayed silent and accepted what the law had previously said, they would have been given nothing in the Holy Land. But they spoke up against this, and were able to create change,” said Bill, motioning with his arm to create emphasis, “What I have learned, and I hope you all learn, is that, if you are able, go beyond expectations and speak up when something is unfair or unjust.”

Bill's gaze swept across the room before he continued, “Every day we should strive to reach higher, to act more, to be more than we were the previous day. We must never sit idle. What I have learned, is that we must always strive to achieve that one honor, to be called that one word... exceptional.”

The crowd applauded Bill's sermon, and he gave a small bow before Rabbi Lehvi stood up to continue the service. Bill's big part done, he relaxed as he more passively lead the congregation.

 

The party had been exhausting after the ordeal of the service, and Bill flopped onto his bed after hanging up his dress clothes. He had danced a lot and had to talk to all of his aunts and uncles, but it was pretty fun for the most part. Being lifted up in that chair was kind of scary though.

Bill chuckled softly as he drifted off to sleep.

 

– July 16th , 2012 –

 

Bubby Debbie was talking to Bill's parents about something while he stared out the front window of his grandma's house. They had come out to Gravity Falls on Sunday and Bill was already bored. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see his dad standing there with a smile.

“Hey, I know it can get pretty boring just sitting around here all day, so why don't I drop you off at the mall so you can at least stretch your legs a bit?” said Thomas.

“Yeah, that'd probably be more fun than staring out the window all day,” answered Bill standing up.

After a short drive, after handing Bill some cash for the day, Thomas waved Bill off. Bill looked around as he entered the mall wondering what he could do for the day.

“At least there's an arcade,” said Bill to himself, setting off to find the place he was looking for.

A terrified woman ran passed Bill suddenly, and as Bill looked in the direction she was running from all he could see was a big guy in a cap and question mark shirt acting kind of weird. It was more the two kids farther on, hiding poorly behind a pine tree that caught Bill's interest. One was a girl with long brown hair, wearing a sweater that looked like it had a sprinkles design all over it. The other was a boy with a blue and white cap with a pine tree design on it over his own brown hair, who wore a reddish shirt and puffy vest. There was something about the two that was unnervingly familiar.

Bill decided to skip the arcade and, instead, started to shadow the two. From what he could see, the kids were trying to help the big man, who Bill now recognized as the man he had seen at the Mystery Shack during his previous visits, talk to girls. Their attempts were failure after failure, and eventually Bill grew bored of watching.

Taking out his phone, Bill called his dad to pick him up. They were only spending another day in Gravity Falls, so he might as well spend it with Bubby. He'd probably head to the Mystery Shack tomorrow to get Jack and Carlos some knickknacks or something.

 

– August 29th, 2012 –

 

A groan escaped from under the comforter of Bill's bed. He'd been the sickest he could remember since the twenty-fourth. It wouldn't have been so bad if he didn't keep slipping into those memories. These ones were different from before, they were like he was seeing them in real time. And the things he saw, those monsters in Gravity Falls, that throne of human suffering, he got a guilty sting whenever he felt happy that his grandma wasn't in Gravity Falls right now.

Somehow he had been able to force himself to keep record of all these memories as he got them, but it was tearing at him to think about what he had done. Or what he was doing?

At some point, Bill fell asleep again, but he couldn't tell.

 

He was in an empty white void, with nothing but a single wooden door. He was in, and all he had to do was promise not to hurt Pine Tree, Shooting Star, and Stan. This was too easy. He commented on how he'd expect nothing less from Sixer. He opened the door and found, not Sixer, but his twin, Stanley, playing with a paddleball.

This wasn't right. He's suppose to be in Sixer's mind. What's happening?

The door closed behind him as he confronted Stan. The room slowly started to be encased in blue flames. Bill tried to bargain with Stan, tried to get out, but couldn't.

Bill's form couldn't sustain itself, he was glitching out.

Desperate, Bill spoke, but it came out backwards. He could only hope that those words worked as he reached toward Stanley.

The last thing he saw was Stanley's fist approach his eye before everything shattered and went blank.

 

Bill jolted up in his bed, screaming and covered in sweat.

His door flew open and Bill saw Morgan rush in.

“Bill,” they exclaimed, clearly scared for their son, “Bill what happened?”

Thomas stood behind Morgan, handing Bill a glass of water, which he graciously took.

After the cup was drained, Bill spoke shakily, “I...I think I died.”

“Was,” Morgan started, pausing for a moment, “was it a memory?”

Bill could only bring himself to nod in response. He was shaking and felt too hot and too cold all at once. Thomas turned on the light and brought the thermometer forward, which Bill placed under his tongue.

After a few minutes of silence, Thomas took the thermometer back and studied it, giving a sigh of relief.

“Oh thank God,” he said, “Looks like your fever finally broke. How are you feeling Bill?”

“I don't know,” Bill answered quietly, “Those memories, what were... What am I?”

“You're asking about your past life, right?” asked Morgan, still fretting over their son.

Bill gave a nod and Thomas answered, “Your past life was Bill Cipher, a dream demon.”

“Who,” Thomas continued, checking his watch, “As of now, no longer exists as he once was.”

“What do you mean by that?” asked Bill, his voice rising as he spoke, “Are you telling me that I was living at the same time as my past life? How is that even possible? And how do you know about it?”

“Bill,” said Morgan softly, “I know you have a lot of questions for us, and we expected you to have them. We'll tell you everything, but please take a moment to breath, everything will be alright.”

Bill looked at them skeptically, but relented and took five deep breaths, letting himself slowly deflate each time. When his mind was clearer, and his breathing more steady, he looked up at his non again.

“To answer your questions Bill, yes, you have been living at the same time as your past life,” said Morgan, “And a few moments ago, that past life, in a sense, died.”

“You use to be the dream demon, Bill Cipher, and, in a way, still technically are,” said Thomas, “After you were erased, your energy scattered and the ancient powers you had invoked guaranteed your return.”

“But before you could return,” said Morgan, putting their hand on Bill's shoulder, “You entered Oblivion and... met me. Your father and I are more than we appear, just as you are.”

Bill looked between his parents as Thomas spoke, “I am Time, and your non is Nothing. We made a deal together so you would return as a human, and we would be your parents.”

“You,” whispered Bill, “made a deal with me?”

“Yes,” said Morgan, turning Bill's head to look at them, “But I don't want you to think for a second that we don't love you, or that we aren't proud to be your parents.”

Bill suddenly took Morgan's hand, looking slightly panicked, “Non, I know you love me, I love you two too. It's just... a lot to take in I guess.”

Bill started to chuckle, quickly turning into a painful laughing fit.

“Bill?” said Thomas, leaning forward in concern.

“I-I fin...,” said Bill, trying to talk between laughs, “finally get all those puns. All those time and nothing jokes you made.”

“They weren't that funny,” said Morgan, raising an eyebrow and looking to Thomas.

“I know,” said Bill, finally catching his breath and wiping the tears from his eyes, “But I couldn't help but laugh at it all.”

Bill opened his arms for a hug, which his parents gladly gave, “Thank you so much for being my parents. Thanks for giving even a demon like I use to be a second chance.”

“Oh Bill,” said Morgan, “Thank you for being our son.”

They stayed that way for a while, till Bill finally had enough and complained of his hunger, which got a laugh from both Morgan and Thomas.

“You get some rest now,” said Morgan, as they and Thomas stood up to leave the room, “I'll make you something, you just rest.”

As the two left his room, Bill thought to himself, _So what if I've got a pretty nasty past life? Who cares? At least I've got a pretty good life now._

 

– September 17th, 2012 –

 

Bill had pouted during the entire drive and through the entire unpacking process. Despite his sour mood, the move had still gone smoothly. The only thing that broke was an old clay thing that Bill had made when he was five, which only his non seemed to have any special attachment to.

Bill's dad had assured him he'd like it here in Piedmont if he kept a positive attitude, but Bill wasn't convinced. California was a new state and Piedmont was a new town, and Bill was forced to get use to both.

Today was the first day at his new school and he was glad he had arrived early and was actually able to find the classroom without much help. Bill collapsed down at the desk in the far corner of the room, sitting in the very back row, by the window. Being the new kid, he wasn't part of the pre-established cliques at the school and was mostly ignored by the other kids in the room.

Bill let out a sigh as he looked out the window, wondering to himself if he'd be able to make any friends this late in middle school.

Suddenly, the voice of a very energetic girl came from the door of the classroom, “Come on Dipper, we need to claim the best seats before anyone else does. Look, someone's already got the corner seat.”

_Dipper?_ Bill thought with alarm, _No, it can't be._

Bill turned to the front to see a girl with a big smile with braces and long brown hair. She was wearing a sweater that read “First Day” in sparkly letters.

Following behind her was a scrawny boy in shorts and a reddish shirt under a puffy vest. He wore a lumberjack hat over his short brown hair.

“Calm down Mabel,” said Dipper as the two approached Bill, “We can take the seats next to him.”

_No_ , Bill thought, trying to keep his outward composure, _Why are Pine Tree and Shooting Star here?_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sorry for the cliffhanger, just wait and see what's to come. I will be working on the next chapter during spring break don't worry, I'll be getting it to you as soon as I can.
> 
> Edit: Slight change of date for the first day of school so it's not on Sunday. I should have checked that when I has writing the chapter.


	4. Vital Vessals Vindicate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this took so long. I meant to finish this like a week ago, but I just couldn't seem to get through writing it. Hope you enjoy it! If you notice any mistakes, please let me know.

"Hey, hey," whispered Mabel, "Bro-Bro. Is that a new kid?"

"Huh?" questioned Dipper, looking towards the door of the room, "Who are you talking about?"

"The guy right next to you."

Dipper turned to look at the boy to his left, who was looking out the window, and reached over to tap him on the shoulder. The boy jumped from the touch and quickly turned to look at Dipper.

"Wh-What is it?" said Bill nervously.

"Hey, I just wanted to ask if you were new here,” said Dipper with a smile, "Me and my sister, Mabel, don't really recognize you. I'm Dipper, by-the-way."

“Yeah...” said Bill, pausing for a few awkward seconds, “My name's William Pherci, usually go by Bill though.”

Bill saw the flash in Dipper's eyes at hearing the name, and had five seconds to yell at himself for his automatic introduction before Dipper's expression changed back to a smile. The gears were turning in the boy's head, Bill could tell, but he stayed friendly nonetheless.

“Good to meet ya, Bill,” said Dipper extending his hand forward.

Bill studied the hand for a moment before going to take it for a handshake, “Good to meet you too...Dipper.”

As their hands touched, a static spark arced between the two, giving them a shock as they shook. They quickly pulled away from each other, looking at their palms.

Waves of dread crashed over Dipper at the touch, the action seemed dangerously familiar to him. He flashed back to when he made a deal with the dream demon back in Gravity Falls and couldn't help the shiver that ran up his spine.

“Ow,” Bill yelped out, “dude, watch your static before you go to touch someone.”

Dipper stared at Bill for a few seconds, blinking a few times before he finally caught up to what Bill had said.

“Oh, oh sorry about that,” apologized Dipper, scratching the back of his head. He was sure this couldn't be the same Bill, the same demon that had been erased back in Gravity Falls.

“It's fine,” said Bill, forcing on a smirk.

 _I might as well be polite_ , thought Bill, _doesn't look like he knows it's me._

Bill's gaze shifted slightly over to Mabel, who was staring at him and her twin quizzically. He gave her a warm smile, which seemed to please her since she nearly bounded over Dipper to stretch her hand to Bill.

“Yo, I'm Mabel,” she greeted with her almost overwhelming enthusiasm.

Bill took her hand, not feeling any static this time, before replying, “Pleasure to meet you... Mabel.”

“What's with the pause?” asked Mabel, keeping Bill's hand in a too tight grip.

“Oh, uh...” said Bill. _Shit, what do I say? First thing that isn't stupid you can think of._

“Just... just thinking you two seemed familiar is all,” he finally said. _You're an idiot. Now they're going to get suspicious._

“How so?” asked Dipper, his brows slightly furrowed.

“Well, uh,” stammered Bill. _Think of a memory from this life. Wait, I saw them last summer._

“Have you ever been to a town called Gravity Falls?” asked Bill.

Mabel and Dipper exchanged a look to each other, Mabel still gripping Bill's hand. After a moment, the two looked back at Bill and gave silent nods.

“I must have seen you at some point while I was visiting my grandma during the summer,” said Bill, faking confidence, finally getting his hand out of Mabel's grip.

“Your grandma lives in Gravity Falls?” asked Dipper, concern clearly covering his face.

“Yeah, though she usually takes a trip near the end of summer every year,” said Bill, leaning back in his chair, “I think she's in Italy right now.”

The twins seemed to deflate in relief at Bill's words. Bill raised an eyebrow at the two, trying to act confused at their actions while knowing exactly why they looked relieved.

“So you were visiting your grandma over the summer? Mabel and I were visiting our Grunkle Stan,” said Dipper.

“Yeah, I visit her every summer with my parents,” said Bill, “I know it sounds kind of crazy, but some really weird stuff happens when I visit her.”

“Trust us,” said Dipper, looking over at Mabel, “We've had our own share of weirdness in Gravity Falls.”

“Oh really,” said Bill with a smirk, “Not sure if we're talking about the same kind of weirdness. What do you picture when I say I've had more than a couple run ins with a bunch of short people with red pointy hats?”

“Ugh, don't get us started,” groaned Mabel, “First thing in the summer, those gnomes tried to make me their queen.”

Just as Bill opened his mouth to comment on what Mabel had said, the bell rang and class began. Throughout the class, Bill would glance over at Dipper and Mabel, who seemed more interested in passing notes to each other than talking to him.

 _As long as I keep my interaction with them to a minimum, things will be fine,_ Bill thought, as he looked over the class syllabus.

The class passed by uneventfully and, as the bell rang to signal the end of first period, Bill gave Dipper and Mabel a friendly wave as he swung his bag over his shoulder and made for the door.

He had barely made it five feet before he felt a hand on his shoulder and saw Dipper and Mabel come up on both sides of him. The two had big smiles on their faces as they looked at him.

“Hey now,” said Dipper, “You're new here, least we could do is help you get to your next class.”

“That really isn't-” said Bill before being cut off.

“Of course it's necessary,” said Mabel, “Come on, where's your next class?”

“Um, I've got math on my schedule with Mr. Davids,” answered Bill, continuing to, and out of, the door with the twins.

“Same here,” said the two excitedly, practically dragging Bill with them down the hall.

“Come on,” said Mabel, pulling ahead of the two boys, “We need to get the best seats.”

Dipper gave a groan and rolled his eyes, while Bill chuckled at Mabel's eagerness. The boys quickened their pace to keep up with Mabel, almost running to get to their next class. Bill wondered why they were being so friendly to a total stranger like him, but didn't let himself dwell on it.

They were almost the first to get to the classroom, quickly taking the three seats at the back of the class with Bill by the wall and Dipper between him and Mabel.

“So, you moved to Piedmont, right?” asked Dipper, as he took out his notebook and pencil, “When did you move here?”

“About a week ago,” answered Bill, as he started doodling in his notebook, consciously avoiding drawing his usual triangles.

“Wow,” said Mabel, leaning over her brother, “You're really new out here. We gotta show you around town some time.”

“You don't have to do that,” said Bill shaking his hands in front of him to try and dismiss her enthusiasm, “W-we barely just met, you hardly even know me.”

“...and?” said Mabel simply.

Bill was about to try make an argument but Dipper raised a hand to cut him off.

“It's easier just to go along with it Bill,” said Dipper, pushing Mabel off of himself, “She's trying to be friends with you, so there's really no escaping her now.”

“Why?” asked Bill. This wasn't what he had expected nor what he had wanted. He didn't want to be friends with them, that would be too dangerous.

“Why not?” replied Mabel as if that was that.

Bill couldn't find a way to argue with her without revealing anything. Instead, he simply groaned in defeat as Mabel gave a whoop at her victory, already starting to plan out where they would take Bill around town. While Mabel rattled off different places in Piedmont she and Dipper could take Bill, Dipper tapped Bill on the shoulder.

“So hey, what's the rest of your schedule?” asked Dipper.

“Um...” said Bill, scratching the back of his head, “L-let me think. I've got science next with Mrs. Corden, then I've got French, PE, which always sucks, English with Ms. Ellens, and end with advanced band.”

“Whoa,” said Dipper a bit surprised, “That's, like, my exact same schedule.”

“That's...that's just weird,” stated Bill, just staring at Dipper.

“You two dorks with your band,” joked Mabel, giving a friendly punch to Dipper's arm.

“Ow,” yelped Dipper, rubbing his arm, “Yeah, yeah. So, what instrument do you play Bill?”

“Tenor sax,” Bill said cheerfully.

 _Wow, don't act so uninterested Bill,_ he thought, _They might decide to give up on being friends if you keep that up... Didn't realize I could be so snarky to myself._

The bell for the start of class rang out, snapping Bill out of his thoughts. He turned to the front of the room and tried to feign focus on what the teacher said.

As the teacher went over the syllabus, a note landed on Bill's desk. He looked over at Dipper, who tilted his head and pointed his thumb to Mabel. Unfolding the note, a bit of glitter fell out.

The glittery, rainbow letters read, “Do you want to go to the mall?”

Under the question were three options; yes, definitely, and Absolutely.

Bill snorted trying to keep from laughing at the note, before writing his own response, “Not falling for your rigged note, but my answer's maybe.”

He folded the note back up and cautiously passed it over to Dipper when the teacher's back was turned. The rest of the class went by with them passing notes between each other, with Dipper putting in his own comments every now and again.

They continued passing notes through their next class, chatting through break after. The nervousness Bill had been feeling from being around the two eased as he got to know them more, though he stayed careful to try not to reveal anything that might show who he used to be.

Bill began to grow anxious during french, as the class he dreaded drew closer, PE. He gave a groan as the bell rang and he and Dipper made their way to the boy's locker room.

As Bill was pulling his shirt over his head he heard Dipper say something next to him.

Peeling off his shirt completely, Bill said, “Sorry, didn't quite catch that. What you say?”

“What's that mark?” said Dipper, looking concerned and pointing at Bill's chest.

Touching a hand to his chest, Bill looked down at his triangular birthmark.

Giving a nervous chuckle, Bill said, “Oh this? Just a...a birthmark, that's all. I know, it looks kinda weird.”

“Oh, sorry,” said Dipper, quickly changing into his PE shorts, “Didn't mean to make you uncomfortable or anything.”

“It-it's fine,” replied Bill, putting on his PE shirt and locking his locker, “Don't worry about it.”

 _Just as long as he doesn't make any connections I'll be fine_ , thought Bill as the two stepped out of the locker room to start PE.

PE was mercifully easy for the first day of class, just some running and stretching in the field. Mabel was at the head of the pack when they ran, never seeming to lose her breath, while Bill and Dipper kept pace with the majority of the class.

As they stepped out of the locker room after changing back into their regular clothes, Bill gave a sigh of relief. Glad that it was finally lunch, he set off to find a place to sit before Dipper and Mabel could drag him off with them again. Though his efforts were in vain since, once he had found a quiet spot to sit and eat, the two twins found and sat next to him in moments.

“Oh, didn't expect you two to sit with me,” said Bill looking away from the two.

“Of course we'd sit with you,” said Mabel excitedly, “We're friends.”

“Don't you have other friends to hang out with?” asked Bill turning towards Mabel.

“Well, not really,” said Dipper, sounding embarrassed.

“What?” said Bill, more than a little surprised, “But I thought, would have thought, you'd have plenty of friends.”

“Plenty of kids are nice to me, but not so much to Dipper,” said Mabel, grabbing Dipper's shoulder and shaking him slightly as she continued, “And if they don't want to be friends with my brother, they ain't gonna be friends with me.”

Bill gave a small laugh at that, saying, “Dipper, you've got a really great twin.”

“Sure do,” said Dipper proudly, “When we're together, there's nothing that can stop us.”

“I'm sure that's true,” said Bill, remembering the times they had stopped him.

Bill couldn't help but befriend the two. They were good people and they were nice to him even if they had no reason to be. Bill found himself really wanting to be friends with the Pines twins in spite of the danger that it might pose to him.

The rest of the day flew by after lunch. Bill and Dipper parted ways with Mabel at last period to go to advanced band, while she went off to her abstract art class.

Dipper played tuba, telling Bill that he owned a sousaphone at home. Though Bill didn't really pay much attention to that, far more impressed that he could lift such a large instrument, Dipper looked so scrawny.

As he had expected, this new band director was as enthusiastic as any he had seen before. It was pleasantly familiar to be playing his instrument with a group again, instead of playing on his own like he had during the summer.

Time seemed to fly by, and before he knew it, Bill was standing with Dipper and Mabel again, now at the pick-up area. Mabel talked about all the things she planned to paint and draw for her art class this semester while they waited.

As the family car pulled up, Bill turned to the twins, “See you two tomorrow.”

“See ya later Bill,” replied the two with waves as Bill ran off to the car.

He waved goodbye before stepping into the car and shutting the door. As the car pulled away and Bill buckled up, he looked up to see both of his parents sitting in the front.

“So, how was your first day?” asked Morgan warmly, “Make any friends?”

“Okay, out with it,” said Bill with a scowl, “You knew.”

“What are you talking about Bill?” asked Thomas, failing to hide a nervous chuckle.

“You know exactly what I'm talking about,” said Bill, crossing his arms, “What are Pine Tree and Shooting Star doing here? You must have known they lived here, so what exactly were you two planning?”

Morgan gave a heavy sigh as they drove, “Listen, it's kind of complicated.”

“Alright,” said Bill, “I'm listening, go on and explain.”

“It's not like we can really explain it Bill,” said Thomas, “We have our reasons, but it isn't really something we can put into words.”

“I just want to know why we moved to where I'm guaranteed to interact with Pine Tree and Shooting Star,” said Bill, growing irritated at his parents' lack of answer, “Isn't it dangerous for me to be anywhere near them?”

“Bill, we can guarantee your safety, don't you worry about that,” said Thomas, “And we didn't move here solely so you'd run into those two. For the most part it was so you could get a better education and better opportunities.”

“But it _was_ partially so I'd run into them,” stated Bill.

“Yes,” answered Morgan, “We have our reasons. Everything we do is with your best interests at heart.”

“I'm not too sure I buy that,” said Bill with a pout, “But I trust you.”

“That's all we can ask for,” said Morgan, “But back to my original question. Did you have a good day?”

With a groan Bill admitted, “Yeah, it was pretty good. And it looks like I'm quickly becoming friends with those two.”

“That's good,” said Thomas with a smile, “I'm sure you'll be great friends.”

“Yeah, long as they don't find out about me,” said Bill.

“Don't worry too much,” said Morgan, turning into the drive-way, “It's not good for you.”

Bill jumped from the car as it came to a stop and hurried to the door, waiting for his parents to catch up and unlock it before rushing to his room. He could tell that this was going to be a tough first week.

“What am I going to do?” Bill mumbled to himself as dropped his backpack next to his desk. “The closer I get to those two the likelier it is they'll figure out who I am,” he said as he turned on his computer, shaking his head before correcting himself, “who I was.”

Once his computer was finished booting up, he messaged Jack and Carlos in their Skype group that he was back from school. They were both quick to message back and ask if Bill was up for any games.

Bill typed, “Nah, not right now, kinda tired from the day.”

Carlos messaged, “k. How's Piedmont?”

“Eh, Can't really tell yet,” answered Bill, “haven't been here long enough.”

“Make any friends yet?” asked Jack, “We been replaced yet, haha.”

“You know I could never replace you two,” said Bill, “But yeah, I guess I've made a couple friends... maybe?”

“Maybe?” messaged both Jack and Carlos.

“Well, I don't know,” replied Bill, “Just met them today. Wierd thing was that they were in pretty much all of my classes.”

“That is weird,” said Jack, “What they like?”

Bill messaged, “Well, they're twins, a brother and sister. They were really nice to me.”

“cool, know if they're into gaming?” asked Carlos.

“Didn't think to ask them,” answered Bill.

“If you do we could have a full moba team” messaged Carlos.

Bill chuckled before replying, “Would be nice not to deal with randoms. I'll ask if I remember.”

 _But would that be wise?_ thought Bill, _That would mean I'd interact with them even more._

Bill gave out a groan as he leaned back in his chair. On the one hand, he wouldn't mind having some more friends, but on the other, being friends with the Pines twins would be dangerous. If they found out, they'd probably tell Sixer, and that just wouldn't end well for Bill. They'd probably try to banish him or something.

Continuing to message Jack and Carlos, Bill felt an ache from how much he missed them. Maybe it would be best to have the Pines twins as friends, maybe he could keep the truth of his past life secret, maybe he could earn their trust enough to have them not care about what he did in his past life. Maybe tomorrow would have some answers.

Bill eventually caved and played a few games with Jack and Carlos later in the night, though he went to bed around ten when Morgan told him to.

 

Bill struggled with navigating the weird block schedule that the school used the next day, thankful to have Dipper and Mabel to act as his guides as he grew accustomed to it. While Monday had all of his classes, Tuesday only had some of them, including PE to his dismay.

Tuesday went much like Monday, with Bill, Mabel, and Dipper passing notes during class and talking to each other in-between. During their talks, Bill found out some of the things that the Pines twins had done during the summer that he hadn't seen. Bill found the story of Mermando and how Dipper had given him “reverse CPR” rather entertaining, to Dipper's dismay.

Through his second day, Bill seemed to go mostly unnoticed by the rest of the kids in his class. By Wednesday though, it seemed that this invisibility was over, and they start to take notice of him and the friendship he seemed to have with Mabel and Dipper.

As Bill walked into his first class of the day, going to his seat in the back, he noticed the looks that a few of his classmates were giving him.

Once Bill had sat down, a small group of guys came up to him. They didn't immediately say anything, just crowding around him before he looked up with a raised eyebrow.

“Hey man,” said one of the boys, propping his arm on Bill's desk, “How's it going?”

“Going alright...” replied Bill.

“So, you're new around here, right?” asked the boy, “What's your name?”

“Bill, and yeah, came into town just before school started,” said Bill, looking around at the group.

“Cool, I'm Drake,” said the boy, as he pointed his thumb to himself.

From his seat, Bill could guess that Drake was about five to six inches taller than he was.

“So,” said another boy, drawing out the word, “Why you've been hanging out with the Pines?”

“Huh?” stated Bill, a bit taken aback.

“Why are you hanging out with Dipper and Mabel?” clarified a third guy, “Like, I get wanting to be friends with Mabel, but Dipper's a bit too weird.”

“I've been hanging out with them cause they're, well, to put it frankly, friendly,” answered Bill, leering slightly at the group.

“Oh, you trying to get with Mabel?” asked the Drake, “Good luck, Tim tried to get to Mabel through Dipper before, but Dipper was just too much of a freak.”

“What?” said Bill incredulously, “No, what the heck are you talking about?”

“Then why would you choose to be nice to Dipper?” asked Drake.

“Cause he's nice to me,” said Bill, “I don't know what's so hard to get about that.”

“What? Are you a freak like Dipper?” accused one of the boys.

Bill paused for a moment, eventually deciding to put on a twisted smirk, “Ya know, I don't like you talking badly about my friend.”

“And I don't like you talking that way about my brother,” suddenly said Mabel behind the group.

The boys bolted once they realized Mabel was behind them. Drake giving Bill a sneer before going off to the other side of the room. Bill returned the sneer before dropping it and looking to Mabel and Dipper. Mabel was still glaring at the boys and Dipper was self-consciously rubbing his arm, looking at his feet. Mabel eventually turned around and looked to Bill, giving him a proud nod, before taking her seat.

Dipper looked up at Bill, saying, “Hey... thanks.”

“No problem,” said Bill, continuing angrily, “I can't believe those jerks.”

“Yeah, sorry you had to deal with them cause of me,” said Dipper apologetically.

“Don't be sorry for them being butts,” said Bill, “You're my friend, of course I'm going to stand up for you.”

“But-” started Dipper, as he was sitting down, but Bill raised his hand to stop him.

“No buts,” interrupted Bill, “It's fine dude.”

Dipper opened and closed his mouth a few times before the bell rang and class started.

Throughout the next few classes, Bill could feel the glances at him and caught his name in the whispers of his classmates. He tried to keep himself from being too affected by them, rolling his eyes and scoffing at them, but it did hurt. A few kids knocked shoulders with him when he was going through the halls and shoved past him when he was looking for a place to sit with Dipper and Mabel at lunch.

Bill felt a sense of foreboding as he and Dipper walked into the locker room to change for PE. As he changed, out of the corner of his eye, Bill saw Drake and two of the other boys from earlier approach him and Dipper.

“Hey freaks,” said Drake, leaning against the locker next to Dipper.

Dipper ignored Drake, continuing to get his PE clothes on.

“Hey, I'm talking to you,” said Drake, shoving Dipper.

“What do you want Drake?” asked Bill with a sneer.

“Just seeing how the two freaks are doing,” answered Drake with a shrug.

“Leave us alone,” said Dipper weakly.

“Huh? What's that?” asked Drake, shoving Dipper again, “Don't got your sister to protect you here little dipper.”

“I don't need Mabel to protect me all the time,” said Dipper angrily.

“I'm sure, since you've got this freak with that ugly ass triangle on his chest,” said Drake sarcastically, adding, “I'm sure he can protect you too.”

Bill shrunk back a bit, quickly covering his birthmark.

“What? Did you draw that on with a sharpie, weirdo?” teased one of the others.

“Back off,” said Dipper.

“Aww,” said the other boy, “did we hurt your feelings?”

Drake gave Dipper another shove, knocking him into the lockers.

“Leave Dipper alone Drake,” said Bill, getting between him and Dipper.

“What you going to do about it?” said Drake, “Nothing, that's what. You can't do anything to me.”

“Stop bullying Dipper,” said Bill, trying to puff himself up.

“Make me,” said Drake, shoving Bill over the bench between the lockers.

Bill tumbled over the bench, hitting his head on the lockers, making him yelp in pain. He curled up in pain, screwing his eyes shut.

“Don't hurt my friend,” shouted Dipper.

There was a slam, and Bill looked up to see Dipper had shoved Drake against the lockers, grabbing his shirt collar. Dipper had a furious determination burning in his eyes as he glared up at Drake. Drake was in shock, he didn't remember Dipper being this strong, being bold enough to stand up to him.

“I can take you messing with me, but don't you dare mess with my friend,” snarled Dipper, pounding Drake against the lockers for emphasis.

When Dipper let go of Drake's collar, Drake backed off from him.

“Fine,” said Drake, sneering and signaling to the other two that they were going, “I'm done wasting my time on you. I'll get you later, freaks.”

As the three rounded the corner and went out of sight, Dipper turned to Bill and offered a hand. Bill took the hand and let Dipper help him back up.

“You okay?” asked Dipper.

“Yeah, just got a bump on my head,” said Bill, rubbing the back of his head, “I'll be fine. You were pretty cool.”

“W-what?” said Dipper, “I-I wasn't that cool. I-I just kinda lost control, I really shouldn't have done that.”

“Dude, you were awesome,” said Bill, punching Dipper in the arm, “I didn't think you could snap like that.”

“I, uh, well,” stammered Dipper before chuckling, “We, we should get ready for PE.”

“Ha, right,” agreed Bill, getting on his PE shirt.

As the two headed out of the locker room Dipper said, “Hey, Bill? Don't tell Mabel what happened, okay?”

“Huh? Why not?” replied Bill raising an eyebrow.

“I don't want her to worry,” said Dipper, “She's always stood up for me, but I don't want her to get too involved, I can handle them myself.”

“Well you sure showed that you could,” said Bill, “I didn't realize you were that strong.”

“Yeah well, I've got Grunkle Stan to thank for that. The amount of chores he made me do during the summer definitely toughened me up,” responded Dipper, scratching the back of his head.

PE went by as it had the past couple of days, this time though, Bill kept returning glares and sneers at Drake and his lackeys. Drake didn't do anything that day when Bill and Dipper were changing back into their regular clothes except leer at them.

After Bill and Dipper left the locker room, Mabel came up to them, pulling them both into headlocks. Bill struggled to get out of her grip, but found his efforts to be futile.

“Bill,” said Mabel, drawing out his name, “Give us your number.”

“Give me my head,” retorted Bill.

“Blargh, fine,” said Mabel, releasing Bill from the headlock.

“Thanks,” said Bill, taking out his phone.

 _Seriously?_ thought Bill as he unlocked his phone, _You're just completely willing to give them your number without a single care? You must be really confident that they won't find out._

After Mabel copied the number, she let go of Dipper so he could copy the number as well. While Dipper was typing it in, Bill saw Drake going past and gave him another glare before turning back before Dipper looked up. Mabel was staring back at Bill when he turned back.

“Alright Mabel,” said Dipper, handing Bill back his phone, “We got to go to jazz, so we'll see you around.”

“Ugh, fine,” groaned Mabel, as Dipper started to walk away.

Before Bill could follow, Mabel grabbed his arm, “Hey, Bill?”

“Hmm, what is it?” asked Bill, turning to her.

“Did anything happen with Drake and Dipper?” she asked, giving Bill a concerned look.

“Um... n-nothing really,” said Bill, averting his gaze, “It's fine.”

“Just promise you'll be there for him when I can't,” said Mabel, looking down, “I left him alone when he really needed someone during the summer, I don't want him to be alone like that again.”

Bill could tell what she was talking about, but tried his best not to show it.

“Don't worry,” replied Bill, extending a hand to Mabel “I promise to be there for him.”

 _I actually do intend to keep this promise, don't I,_ Bill assured himself.

“Thanks,” said Mabel, hesitating for a moment before taking Bill's hand, “It means a lot.”

“No problem,” replied Bill with a smile, “It's a de- a promise.”

“Hey Bill,” shouted Dipper, “Come on, we've gotta go.”

“Coming,” said Bill over his shoulder, before turning back to Mabel, “Well, I'll catch you later.”

“Catch ya later,” said Mabel cheerfully.

Bill ran off after Dipper, patting his shoulder when he caught up.

“What was that about?” asked Dipper.

“Nothing really,” said Bill, quickly making something up, “She just wanted to confirm that I was willing to have you two show me the mall some time.”

“Yeah, she's really looking forward to you hanging out with us,” said Dipper.

“Oh, I just remembered something,” exclaimed Bill, “Do either of you two play any online games?”

“Uh, not really,” answered Dipper, “Why?”

“My friends back in my hometown wanted me to ask and see if you and Mabel would want to join our little gaming group,” said Bill.

“Well, I'd love to join if you guys play Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons,” said Dipper with a laugh.

“I could never get into that,” said Bill, “Too much time dedicated to making the dang dungeons. I like the RP parts of it though.”

The two continued to talk about games as they walked to the band room. During jazz, Bill kept glancing back at Dipper between playing. Dipper would smile back at Bill, making weird faces whenever he saw Bill looking over at him. By the end of band, Bill and Dipper quickly put away their instruments and started chatting again, laughing at each other as the carried their stuff outside. They found Mabel waiting for them outside before the twins stepped into their parent's car and left for home, waving goodbye to Bill as they drove off.

Soon enough, Morgan drove up to pick Bill up, saying as he got in, “So, how was your day?”

“It was a heck of a day,” answered Bill, “Had to deal with some jerks at school.”

“Were people bullying you Bill?” asked Morgan, extremely concerned.

“It's fine,” replied Bill, rubbing his hands together anxiously, “It's nothing you need to really worry about.”

“Bill, I'm serious,” said Morgan, “If you're getting bullied, please let me and Thomas know.”

“I'm serious, everything's fine,” said Bill, “Dipper and Mabel were there to stand up for me.”

“Alright, I'll trust your judgment on this for now,” said Morgan, starting to drive home, “but if things keep going like this I want you to tell me. I want to protect you.”

“I know non, but Dipper, Mabel, and I, we can watch out for each other,” replied Bill, leaning back in his seat and staring out the window.

The rest of the car ride went in relative silence as they drove home.

After yelling out a greeting to his dad when he walked in the door, Bill went straight to his bedroom and quickly collapsed on his bed. After a few minutes, Bill heard his phone go off. Pulling it out of his pocket with a groan, he unlocked it to see he had gotten a text from Mabel.

 _Oh,_ thought Bill, _Mabel must have put her and Dipper's numbers into my phone when I gave it to her._

Opening the text, it read, “BIIIIIIIILLLLLLLL!!!!! WANNA GO TO THE MALL ON SATURDAY?”

Bill chuckled before texting back, “I'll have to ask my parents, but most likely.”

“Non, dad,” Bill shouted across the house, “Could I go to the mall with Dipper and Mabel this Saturday?”

“Only if you've finished any homework before hand,” called back Thomas.

“Fine,” responded Bill.

When Bill looked back at his phone, he saw that Mabel had texted him again.

The message read, “HurRY!!”

Bill texted, “I got their permission.”

A moment later, Bill added, “... where's the mall?”

After waiting several minutes, Bill finally got another text, this time from Dipper, “Hey, Mabel had to take care of Waddles. So, how about we just pick you up on Saturday?”

“That works just fine,” replied Bill before texting his address.

 _I am really getting too comfortable with these two,_ Bill thought as he hit send, _I have willingly just told them where I live._

“Let's talk about it more tomorrow.” texted Dipper, “Gotta do homework -_-”

“What don't like homework? Haha” typed Bill with a chuckle❤️❤️❤️.

“I might be looking forward to learning calculus in high school, but nobody likes homework,” replied Dipper a moment later.

Bill laughed at the message as he put away his phone, getting off his bed and going to his desk to do his homework himself.

 

The next couple days went by in a blur of glares and sneers at Drake and his lackeys, as Bill's nervousness and excitement for the weekend rose. Before he knew it, he was pulling his favorite yellow flannel on over the black shirt he had been wear during the day before going to Friday evening temple services with his parents. Bill grabbed his golden kippah and rushed out to the car.

As they entered the temple lobby, Bill stayed close to his parents, slightly uneasy about all the people he had never met before.

While Bill was trying to stay out of the conversations his parents were making with some of the other adults waiting for services to begin, two voices behind him shouted, “Bill?”

Bill straightened up slightly before turning around to see Dipper and Mabel standing in the doorway with, who Bill could only assume to be, their parents. The two looked up to their parents, saying something that Bill couldn't hear, before getting a nod from them and running over to him.

“Hey Bill,” said Dipper as he and Mabel came to a stop, “Didn't expect to see you here.”

“Yeah,” drew out Bill, looking confusedly between the twins, “Didn't expect to see you two either. Didn't realize you were Jewish too.”

“Yay,” cheered Mabel, “It's great to see ya here.”

“Oh, hi there,” stated Morgan, turning around, “You two must be Dipper and Mabel.”

“Hi miss,” greeted Mabel with a huge grin.

“Oh, those aren't my pronouns,” corrected Morgan, with a pleasant grin, “I use they slash them and you can call me Mistree Pherci.”

“Okey dokey,” said Mabel, “Sorry about that.”

“It's fine,” replied Morgan, tapping Thomas on the shoulder to get him to turn around.

“Hmm? Oh, hello,” said Thomas, turning around and noticing Dipper and Mabel.

“Hello, I'm Dipper and this is my sister Mabel,” replied Dipper politely.

Thomas looked at the two before saying, “Well it's good to meet you two, I'm Thomas Pherci. You can call me Mr. Pherci. Looks like you've already met my spouse, Morgan, and already know Bill.”

“Yep, Bill's an awesome friend,” beamed Mabel.

“That's great to hear,” said Thomas with a grin, “Hope you three make good, long time friends.”

Bill gave a quick look up at Thomas, who only smiled back. Bill rolled his eyes at him before turning back to Dipper and Mabel.

“Of course we'll be good friends,” assured Mabel.

“Yeah,” said Dipper, “I know we only met him this week, but he's still a pretty great friend already.”

“I love hearing that,” chimed Morgan, “He's always been such a great kid. He gave a fantastic speech at his Bar Mitzvah, and he looked so cute in his suit and tallit.”

“Non,” groaned Bill.

“Oh, we're preparing for our Bat slash Bar Mitzvah in January,” said Dipper, moving the conversation along before Mabel could start asking for photos.

Bill gave Dipper a silent thank you as Mabel started going off on how much work they had been doing.

“We'll be sure to attend services that day,” said Thomas.

“Yes, please do,” shouted Mabel.

They continued chatting for a while, with Dipper and Mabel's parents soon joining in. Soon enough, everyone went into the synagogue and sat down as services were about to begin. The whole service was familiar to Bill, it was mostly the same as they were at his old temple, with the occasional difference.

The service went on into the night, drawing on, as Bill followed along as best he could. He, Dipper, and Mabel would occasionally whisper to each other between prayers.

At last, the nights services came to an end, and the congregation moved to a large room next to the synagogue for challah and wine, with grape juice set out for those underage.

“So,” said Bill, drawing out the word as he turned to Dipper and Mabel, “You're going to be picking me up tomorrow, right?”

 _Still being a bit too comfortable with them_ , thought Bill.

“Yup,” confirmed Dipper, “What time do you want us to come around?”

“Uhhhh, I'm not sure?” said Bill with a shrug, “I guess you could show up around noon?”

“Noon works,” replied Dipper, “We'll come by to pick you up then.”

“I don't want to wait till tomorrow,” whined Mabel.

“Well ya have to,” said Bill.

Thomas then walked up to the three, putting a hand on Bill's shoulder.

“Hey Bill, time to get home,” said Thomas.

“Alright dad,” replied Bill, starting to walk with Thomas away from the twins, before looking over his shoulder, “I'll see you two tomorrow.”

“See ya Bill,” cheered Mabel, waving at him along with Dipper.

The drive back home was uneventful, and Bill quickly changed into his pajamas and collapsed in bed when they got home.

 _You're voluntarily going to be spending your Saturday with them_ , thought Bill, turning over in his bed.

Slowly, Bill drifted off into sleep, pondering why he was so willing to spend time with the people most dangerous to him.

 

Bill awoke to his phone's alarm beeping angrily at him. Groggily, he scooched over and pulled his phone to him from the nightstand. Wincing as the screen lit up when he turned off the alarm, Bill was able to make out that it was nine in the morning.

With a groan, he rolled out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom. After taking care of his business, Bill hopped into the shower, yelping and jumping back as the cold water hit him. Eventually the water reached a bearable temperature, and Bill proceeded to take his leisurely shower. After a long while, Bill turned off the water and dried himself off. He cleared the fog off the mirror so he could see himself, brushed his teeth, and ran his comb through his short blond hair, spiking it up slightly in the front. He went back to his room to change into something for the day, looking out his window at the clear blue sky outside.

Bill pulled on a pair of black jeans and a yellow v-neck before stepping out and down the hall to the kitchen.

“Hey there Bill,” said Morgan, cheerfully, “Ready for your day with Dipper and Mabel?”

Bill grunted a response with a nod, before opening the fridge and just staring into it.

“Wake up Bill,” stated Morgan with a chuckle, “Take a seat and I'll make you some breakfast.”

“Thanks non,” said Bill, moving over to the kitchen table.

“No problem,” they replied with a smile, pulling out a gallon of milk, “What juice do you want?”

“Uh, strawberry orange banana,” answered Bill.

“Alrighty,” said Morgan, taking out the juice carton, the eggs carton, and a package of sausages.

After about fifteen minutes, Morgan put Bill's breakfast in front of him along with glasses of milk and juice, and took out a mulivitamin for him.

By the time Bill had finished his breakfast it was nearly noon. He quickly washed his dishes before going back to his room to grab some of his stuff, specifically his wallet and phone.

The doorbell rang just before noon and Bill rushed to the door before even Morgan could reach it. Swinging it open, Bill saw Dipper and Mabel standing there, grinning at him.

“Hey Bill,” said Mabel as she gave him a friendly punch in the arm, “Ready for the best day ever?”

“Yeah,” said Bill, rubbing his arm, “All ready to go.”

Morgan stepped up next to Bill then, saying, “You three have fun today. And stay safe. Bill, do you have enough money for the day?”

“Yeah,” answered Bill, “I think I've got, like, fifty dollars.”

“Why do you have so much money on you?” wondered Morgan, “Oh well, just don't spend it all at once. Call me when you want me to pick you up, okay Bill?”

“Yeah, I'll call you later,” said Bill, giving Morgan a hug before stepping out the door.

The three quickly went to the car waiting on the street and piled into the back, Bill ending up taking the middle seat.

Mr. Pines turned around to look at the three kids as he said, “You three ready to go?”

“Yep,” said Mabel and Dipper in unison.

“Thank you for driving us Mr. Pines,” said Bill, buckling up.

“Oh no problem,” replied Mr. Pines, “Happy to see these two spending time with a friend.”

As the car started to move, the three kids began to discuss what they would do when they got to the mall. Mabel wanted to go to the crafts store to get more glitter and yarn for knitting sweaters, while Dipper wanted to go to the book store to see if there were any new expansions for Dungeons, Dungeons, and more Dungeons. The twins also insisted on going to do laser tag, which Bill was excited to try.

As the car came to a halt in front of the mall, the three hopped out, giving goodbyes to Mr. Pines before turning to go inside. Bill saw that the mall was full of people as they walked inside, but it wasn't so busy that it was inconvenient.

“So, what first?” asked Bill, putting his hands in his pockets.

“Let's go get my sweater supplies first,” insisted Mabel, starting to walk off.

“If we do that, then you'll have to carry that stuff all day,” Bill pointed out.

“He's got a point Mabel,” agreed Dipper, “Same for if we go to the book store first.”

“Ugh, fine,” said Mabel with a groan, “Then what do you think we should do first Bill? Don't want to do laser tag too early.”

“There's always the arcade,” said Bill with a smirk.

“Yeah,” cheered Mabel, “That's a great idea. Come on, let's go.”

They followed Mabel to the mall's arcade, soon looking around for what game to play first.

“Too bad most arcade games are only two players at a time,” stated Bill, putting his hands in his pockets again, “Otherwise we could all play against each other.”

“Actually, there's a racing game over there that looks like it's four player,” said Dipper pointing at a motorcycle game.

Bill smirked and rushed towards it, saying over his shoulder, “Well, then let's play it.”

The twins followed close behind Bill, hopping onto the seats for the game. They all put in their quarters at the same time, and were soon picking their bikes and the course. Bill chose a black and yellow bike, Mabel chose a pink one, and Dipper chose one that was white and blue.

As the count down began, Bill shifted into his gaming mode, focusing intently on the screen, feeling the throttle, and leaning over the replica motorcycle that was the controller, waiting for the green light. The light turned green, and they were off, Mabel the first out the gate, followed close behind by Bill. Bill stayed close on Mabel's tail, though she refused to let him pass. At a corner, Bill squeezed past and into first place with Mabel falling behind a good distance. At the first turn of the second lap, Dipper was the one to edge past Mabel and Bill into first place. Though Dipper's lead didn't last long as he missed the shortcut giving Bill and Mabel the lead again. They kept switching who was in first throughout the race. On the final lap, Mabel crossed the finish first, with Bill and Dipper following a second behind.

Bill dropped out of his focus as he sat back up, and let out his breathe. Mabel was cheering next to him, and Dipper was smiling over at his sister and Bill.

They all swung themselves off of the bikes and circled around each other again to decide on the next game to play.

“That was awesome,” shouted Mabel, “You're really good at racing games.”

“Same to both of you,” said Bill with a big grin, “Didn't realize you were so great at gaming. Dipper said that it wasn't really both of your thing.”

“What?” Mabel said, “We're awesome at games.”

Bill looked over at Dipper, raising an eyebrow, “Then is it just that you don't play any online games?”

“I said we didn't really play online games,” said Dipper, “Not that we don't play any other games.”

“What are you talking about?” asked Mabel.

“I asked Dipper if either of you played online games the other day cause my friends back in Nevada wanted to know if you wanted to join our gaming group,” said Bill.

“Sure,” said Mabel with a huge smile, “Come on Dipper, let's give it a try.”

“Er, well,” stammered Dipper, “I guess it couldn't hurt.”

“We usually play stuff like Guild of Greats and Poto 2,” stated Bill.

“I think I heard about that first one,” said Mabel.

“Well, we could give it a try later,” said Dipper, “But for now, let's find another game to play.”

“Alrighty,” said Bill with a grin, looking around and locking his eyes on an arcade game, “Look they've got Fight Fighters.”

“Er, I think I'll pass on that,” said Dipper, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

“Alright, if you say so,” replied Bill, going over to the machine, “Wanna challenge me Mabel?”

“Oh, you're on,” said Mabel, pulling up her sleeves.

,Dipper watched Bill and Mabel put in their quarters and cycled through the characters. Bill chose Admiral Big-Calves and Mabel chose Suggessica.

“It's the battle of the legs,” said Bill as the intro scene played, “Calves versus thighs.”

Mabel gave a laugh as they readied to fight. First move was made by Mabel as she did a drop kick forward, but Bill was ready to block and quickly caught her in a grab. Bill followed with a charge kick into a combo. As he backed off, Mabel did a jump and dive kick, which lead to a cross-up, knocking Bill down.

“Yeah, take that,” shouted Mabel.

“Gonna have to do better than that,” said Bill, doing a wake-up attack which knocked Mabel off balance.

Bill continued the onslaught as he preformed another combo. As Mabel got back up, Bill went for another grab, but was caught in Mabel's counter move. Mabel's character spun up in a flurry of kicks, sending Bill to the other side of the screen.

As Mabel approached, Bill stayed back, preparing another charge kick. As Mabel went for another drop kick at him, Bill unleashed the his kick, knocking her down. He backed up again to see if he could pull off another charge kick when Mabel got up. Mabel didn't fall for it and jumped up to do a quick dive kick and knocking Bill out, winning the first round.

“Yeah, victory for Mabel,” shouted Mabel, “I am the fighter king.”

“Not over yet,” said Bill with a smirk, “Time for round two.”

As the second round started, Bill was the one who opened up with a spin kick combo. He didn't back off in time as Mabel got up with a wake-up kick and did her own combo. Bill got back up and Mabel went for a grab, but Bill was quick to enter the command to activate his super move. Bill's character did a series of heavy kicks, pushing Mabel back and taking off almost half of her health bar. Once Mabel got up, Bill caught her in a combo and jumped back. When Mabel got up, she tried to use her super move, but Bill blocked it retaliating with another combo, which knocked Mabel out and winning Bill the round.

“Told ya it wasn't over,” gloated Bill, “Ready for the final round?”

“Oh, you're in for it now,” challenged Mabel, with an intense smirk.

The final round began with both of them back up from each other. Mabel soon did a sliding kick towards Bill, who reacted with a jump. Mabel did an anti-air move and started to air juggle Bill, taking off a quarter of his health. Upon getting up, Bill was caught in a combo by Mabel. Bill was pinned to the wall, the worst position for his character to be in. Mabel continued to beat Bill down before she eventually won the round.

“How did you do that?” said Bill, “I couldn't react at all.”

“Aw yeah, Mabel's the champ,” cheered Mabel, “I am the relentless fighting king.”

“Alright Mabel, you won,” said Bill, with a slight bow, “I give you the title of fighting game king. Though I fully intend to take that crown some day.”

“I accept your challenge,” said Mabel before patting her stomach, “But for now, let's eat something.”

“Agreed,” said Dipper behind the two, “Let's eat.”

The three exited the arcade, Bill checking his phone as he followed the twins. It was already about two thirty as they got to the food court and grabbed burgers, fries, and drinks.

“So,” said Mabel between french fries, “What next?”

“We could go get those supplies you wanted,” answered Bill, taking a sip from his drink.

“Or we could look around the book store,” said Dipper, “Since you already know exactly what you want to buy from the crafts store.”

“I vote for book store,” said Bill.

“Alright,” said Mabel, “We'll look for Dipper's game stuff, then get my sweater material.”

“And save laser tag for last,” said Dipper.

The three chattered as they ate, Mabel and Dipper telling Bill about a few more of their summer adventures, and Bill telling them a bit about his gaming. After finishing up they went to the book store and began looking around.

After about fifteen minutes of finding nothing worth buying, they decided to get on to getting Mabel's sweater supplies.

Once they got to the store, Mabel rushed into its depths. It took Dipper and Bill about ten minutes to find her again. When they found her, she was holding about a gallon of glitter, about sixteen things of yarn, and a dozen other craft supplies.

“How are you carrying all that?” asked a bewildered Bill.

“Because I need it,” answered Mabel, moving to the front.

“That doesn't answer how,” said Bill.

“She does it cause she can,” said Dipper, putting a hand on Bill's shoulder.

Mabel bought her supplies quickly, joking with the cashier as she handed her the money. Mabel grabbed her bags and waved for the boys to follow her.

The three went back to the arcade to play laser tag.

They went up to the employee in charge of laser tag and got his attention.

“Hey there Mabel, Dipper,” said the young man, “Good to see you two. I feel sorry for everyone else playing if you're here.”

“You know it, Leo,” said Mabel, “Three for laser tag today.”

“Three?” asked Leo, then looking over at Bill, “Oh, hey. I didn't notice you, sorry.”

“It's fine,” answered Bill.

“So, he's gonna be with you two?” asked Leo.

“Yep,” said Dipper, “How much would three be?”

“Group is nine dollars per person,” said Leo, “So twenty seven for all three of you.”

Bill took out his wallet, but Dipper shook his head, “It's okay Bill. We'll pay for ya.”

“I insist that I at least pay for myself,” said Bill, holding a ten dollar bill to Dipper.

“Well...” said Dipper looking to Mabel, who gave him a nod, “Alright.”

Dipper took the money and handed it, with the rest over to Leo, who took out a stamp. Leo put a stamp on the back of the three's hands and sent them off to the briefing room.

The person handing out the guns and vests, looked at the stamp under the black light before handing the three fitting vests and their guns. Before sending them into the arena, he set their gear to be the same team.

“Alright Bill,” said Mabel, “You ready to take everyone down?”

“Oh you know it,” said Bill lifting up his gun.

Bill looked around a bit before the match started, eyes landing on one person making a wicked grin spread across his face.

“Oh look,” said Bill smugly, pointing discretely over at the boy he had seen, “A perfect target.”

“Huh,” said Dipper, looking over at where Bill was pointing along with Mabel, “Oh.”

“You're right Bill,” said Mabel, strong arming her gun up, “Drake does make a perfect target.”

“You two look evil right now,” stated Dipper.

“Oh come on Dipper,” said Bill, slinging on arm over Dipper's shoulders, “I've seen you with just as intense a look.”

“That was a completely different situation,” Dipper mumbled so only Bill could hear, “And please try not to get Drake mad on purpose.”

“Don't worry your pretty little head,” said Bill, poking Dipper on the forehead, “I know what I'm doing.”

“I doubt that,” said Dipper.

By then Drake had noticed three, looking at Bill with his arm around Dipper's shoulders. Bill looked over at Drake and gave him a taunting smirk.

Bill took his arm off of Dipper and prepared for the match to start.

The match started and everyone rushed into the arena. Mabel, Dipper, and Bill stuck together, sneaking around corners and peaking about for their target. Dipper might have been reluctant before the match, but once they got inside, he was like a different person with a sly look on his face.

Dipper peaked around a corner before signaling to Bill and Mabel. Peaking around, they saw Drake standing with two of his usual lackeys, turned away from the corner Bill, Dipper, and Mabel were hiding behind. They crouched down and looked to each other.

“I've got a plan,” said Bill, “Think you can keep up?”

“Trust us,” said Mabel, “We can keep up. What's the plan?”

“Oldest one in the book,” replied Bill with a smirk, “Divide and conquer.”

“I think I know what you're getting at, but how do you plan to do it?” asked Dipper.

“Just stay down for now,” said Bill, standing up, “I've got this.”

The twins gave Bill a nod before he jumped out from behind the corner. Bill gave a whistle and waved at Drake as he got his attention. He stuck out his tongue before running off and quickly whipped behind a corner. Drake and his lackeys seemed to fall for Bill's taunts and chased after him, running past the corner Dipper and Mabel were hiding behind.

Bill continued to run from the three, cutting around corners and jumping behind cover. Though Bill made sure that they never lost sight of him. After a few minutes, Bill wondered if the twins were going to be able to follow through with the plan before taking a moment to peak behind him.

When he looked back, Bill saw that only Drake was still chasing after him. Mabel and Dipper had done their part, now it was time for him to do his.

Bill rushed past a group of other kids, taking a few shots as he went. Eventually, he got to a clear area with a few blocks for cover. He got to the other side and waited for Drake to catch up.

Drake got to the entrance and stopped, glaring at Bill.

“Got yourself into a corner now,” said Drake, “I'm gonna wipe that smug look off your damn face.”

“I'm sure you will,” said Bill, “But I've gotta ask. Where'd your lackeys go?”

“What?” asked Drake, looking over his shoulder, “Oh dammit. Where'd those two idiots go?”

“Might want to pay more attention to me,” said Bill leveling his gun.

Drake glared at Bill, lifting his own gun and looking around the area they were in. No one else was around as Drake started to approach Bill. Bill kept staring at Drake with his smirk.

“Stop with that stupid look,” growled Drake, “You're all alone too.”

Bill gave a shrug as he started to shift to the left. Drake lifted the gun to shoot and Bill dived under the cover closest to him. Bill peaked out to see Drake take his own cover nearby and started to think out his plan of approach. Bill sprinted to another bit of cover nearby, seeing Drake do the same.

The two continued their slow approach, going from cover to cover to keep from getting hit by each other. Soon though, Drake circled around the cover Bill was behind.

After a moment that seemed to take forever, Bill pulled the trigger and got the hit on Drake. Bill got a wicked grin on his face as he started to laugh.

“Looks like I've won,” said Bill.

Next thing he knew, Drake had punched Bill in the face.

Bill fell back, cringing in pain as he held his face.

Quickly, Bill started to scramble away, but Drake got to him before he could fully get up and kicked him back down.

“I told you I'd get you back later,” said Drake, “And that later is now.”

“In a public place,” spat Bill, “That's a bright idea. I'm sure this couldn't possibly go bad for you.”

“Shut up,” said Drake, kicking Bill in the shoulder, “You're gonna get it now.”

Bill curled up, covering his face to protect it from the punches he knew were coming.

Bill heard the rush of feet and Drake shouting something. Bill looked up to see Mabel and Dipper standing near Drake, Mabel holding Drake's arms behind him and Dipper glaring up at him.

“I told you not to mess with my friend,” said Dipper.

“What the hell's wrong with you Drake?” said Mabel, pulling Drake's arms farther behind his back.

“Ouch, let me go,” shouted Drake, trying to break from Mabel's grip.

Dipper helped Bill back up before turning back to Drake, his hands curling into fists. Bill put a hand on Dipper's shoulder, looking him in the eye when he looked back.

“Don't do anything stupid Dipper,” said Bill, “Mabel, let him go before we get in trouble. I don't want to be banned from here my first time coming here.”

Mabel pushed Drake away before stepping over to Bill.

“Let's go tell Leo what happened,” said Mabel angrily.

“Yeah, let's go,” said Dipper.

“Just one moment,” Bill said as he picked his gun back up and pointed it at Drake's vest, pulling the trigger, “Looks like I still won Drake.”

“Pfft, nice,” said Dipper starting to walk with Bill and Mabel down the nearby hall, “Let's get some ice for you before you start to bruise.”

After a few moments the lights in the arena changed and the announcement that the match was over rang around the room. Bill rubbed at where he had been punched as they got to the entrance.

The three approached Leo and told him what happened, soon seeing Drake get approached by a few angry looking employees. Leo stepped away for a moment, quickly returning with a small plastic bag full of ice.

Leo came up to the three, handing the bag to Bill and saying, “Don't worry, he's banned from here for good.”

“Thanks Leo,” said Mabel, “I think it's time for us to go home.”

“I won't keep you,” said Leo, “We'll take care of the rest.”

Bill looked at his phone, seeing that it was already getting towards six.

“Sorry,” said Dipper.

“What are you apologizing for?” asked Bill, moving the bag off his face for a second.

“Drake went after you because of you stood up for me,” said Dipper, looking down at his feet.

“Dipper, dude,” said Bill, patting Dipper on the shoulder, “I stood up for you cause you're my friend. Don't forget that.”

“Alright you two,” said Mabel, “Enough with your mopey mopes. We were awesome today.”

“Right,” replied Bill with a chuckle.

After a while, Bill stepped away for a moment and called his non, telling them that they were wrapping things up, grinning at the Pines twins as he said how much fun he had had with them.

 _Well_ , thought Bill, _Looks like I really am gonna be friends with these two for the long haul._

Bill gave a small chuckle as he stepped back to the twins. He knew that he had made some great friends.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dang this chapter was long. Thank you all for reading. If you've got anything you want me to clarify, feel free to ask! I'm always happy to answer any questions. I'll be working on the next chapter soon!


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